Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario
by The Blue Time Ranger
Summary: Nick Kelly and Yuuki Konno have had a rather odd life, but it's about to get even stranger. With sightings of a suspicious guild running rampant in ALfheim, strange doppelgangers known only as Hollows, and the real world rumors about the resurgence of Death Gun, Nick and Yuuki will have to fight with everything they've got to make it out with their lives...
1. Whirlwind Knight and Absolute Sword

"Wow, it's gorgeous out here," sixteen-year-old Nick Kelly quipped as he made his way down the street, a pre-set route that had been burned deep into his memory for the past year. "Guess the weatherman was right after all."

Nick looked up at the sky, which was currently as clear as it could be. And considering it had been raining pretty hard in ALfheim Online recently, it was a welcome change to him.

"Seriously, I thought that storm was _never_ going to end," Nick groaned, remembering that particular event. "And one of my most useful skills is lightning-based, so _that_ was pretty annoying."

Shaking it off for now, knowing the weather there would change soon enough, Nick focused on what was ahead.

A few turns later and Nick found himself in front of the local hospital.

"Well, here we go," Nick stated to nobody in particular before pushing the doors open and stepping into the lobby.

It was a really nice-looking place, especially considering the new technology this hospital was using after the Sword Art Online incident.

"Excuse me?" Nick called to the receptionist, a young woman of about twenty-nine. "I'm here to visit the patient on F-24."

"Oh, hello, Kelly-san," the woman proclaimed. "How are you feeling today?"

"Mostly good," Nick replied. "I kinda got rained on in ALfheim, but otherwise I'm pretty dry. Speaking of ALfheim, how is she today, doctor?"

"She's doing okay," the woman answered, knowing who Nick was referring to, as he was a frequent visitor for her, showing up just about every day just to hang out with her. "I think she misses you."

"It's only been a day," Nick teased. "So, joking aside, am I clear to go and hang with her?"

"Go right ahead, Kelly-san," the woman replied, reaching out to grab a clipboard. "Just sign yourself in and you're good to go."

After writing his name on the sign-in sheet, Nick took the elevator up to the third floor, walking a few hallways down to roof F-24. The nameplate above the door read "Konno Yuuki".

Smiling to himself, Nick turned the knob and opened the door.

Inside, on the hospital bed where the Medicuboid rested, was a girl about a year younger than him with lustrous purplish-black hair and sharp red eyes reading one of the manga he'd loaned to her a few days ago.

"Hey, Yuuki," Nick stated.

Yuuki Konno looked up from the book and smiled brightly at Nick. "Hi, Nick."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Never give up on your dreams, especially if you consider them to be worth fighting for.)

The Blue Time Ranger presents...  
 _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario  
_ Story Created: September 14th, 2015  
Rated: T for Teen

 **Summary:** Nick Kelly and Yuuki Konno have had a rather odd life. With Yuuki constantly in the hospital, Nick has taken it upon himself to care for her, knowing that he may not have much time left with his best friend. However, a series of strange events begin to plague them. Between ALfheim Online where Nick and Yuuki are being stalked by a strange guild, and the real world where rumors are spreading about the return of Death Gun, Nick and Yuuki will have to protect each other with their lives if they hope to survive...

 **Author's Note:** All right, guys, I'm back with my first Sword Art Online story! Now, obviously, this is an AU story, but I'm going to try to keep the events of the Mother's Rosario arc in this story as best I can. (DAMN YOU and your FEELS, Kawahara!) Now, it's hard to say where this one came from. I had just finished watching the Mother's Rosario arc of the anime (yay for Toonami), and after a bit, I thought of something. That something is this story you're reading.

 **Timeline Placement** : Though a slight AU to accomodate my OC, this story takes place before the end of the Mother's Rosario arc (Volume 7 of the novels and most of the second half of anime season 2), basically inbetween the time when Asuna reconciled with her mother and... *sniff* no spoilers. *sob* (even though you probably know already).

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own anything related to Sword Art Online. That's Reki Kawahara, not me. Anything I don't own, I am just borrowing. The character of Nick Kelly belongs to me, and he many only be used in your stuff with my permission. (I'll probably always say yes, as long as you don't make him look bad.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 1: The Whirlwind Knight and the Absolute Sword

Nick smiled himself as he sat down by Yuuki. "You enjoying that one?" Nick wondered.

"Seriously, Nick, you have an _amazing_ manga collection!" Yuuki giggled, bookmarking her spot in the manga. "How do you do it?"

"I read a hell of a lot as a kid, so I guess it never really went away," Nick quipped. "My grandma helped out, too. She always knew just what I wanted to read."

"That one's getting _really_ juicy!" Yuuki proclaimed. "I seriously can't believe that he actually went back to her after what she did!"

Before Yuuki could continue rambling about the manga, she suddenly keeled over and went into a coughing fit. Nick was over there in a flash, holding Yuuki by the shoulders to steady her.

Once Yuuki had stopped coughing, Nick patted Yuuki on the head. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Probably shouldn't have started gushing so loudly," Yuuki admitted. "I forgot what happened last time I did that."

Yuuki smiled again, leaning over to hug Nick tightly. "Thank you for being such a sweetheart to me."

"Hey, you're my best friend, Yuuki," Nick answered, holding Yuuki close to him. "And that's the way it's always gonna be."

Yuuki sighed happily at that. She loved hearing that from Nick, especially since she knew she probably wouldn't live too much longer unless a cure was found for her condition soon.

"So, anything on the agenda for today?" Yuuki asked, letting go of Nick.

"Well, I'm definitely staying for a lot longer this time," Nick answered. "Mom's not going to be back until past ten."

"Why does it always seem like there's no set script for when your mom gets done with work?" Yuuki wondered.

"Blame the bigwigs up there," Nick answered. He really had no clue how his mother's job worked. "They're a bunch of nutballs."

While they were talking, Nick reached out for his cell phone and began to type out a text message to his mother.

 _Mom, at the hospital. Going to hang with Yuuki for a while._

"That should hold her," Nick stated.

"She's protective, huh?" Yuuki giggled. She hadn't seen Nick's mother Rhea that much, but liked what she knew of her.

"Just a mom thing," Nick replied. Nick knew to choose his words carefully when it came to talking about parents around Yuuki, as her parents had died two years ago from the same infection that had taken out the rest of her family. And even more, considering his own father had died a year ago from a car accident.

"So, what do _you_ feel like doing today, Yuuki?" Nick asked.

"You wanna jump to ALfheim?" Yuuki offered. "I heard there's something really interesting on floor thirty!"

"A new quest, maybe?" Nick wondered, grabbing his backpack and fishing out his Amusphere. "The tech dudes were pretty blatant about the new quests that came with the update."

"Well, only one way to find out!" Yuuki laughed, laying back down on her bed and reaching out to place the Medicuboid over her head.

Nick walked over to the other bed on the right side of the room and laid on it while setting up his Amusphere.

"See you on the other side, Yuuki," Nick quipped. Yuuki flashed a thumbs-up from her side.

Then, the two closed their eyes and prepared to dive.

"LINK START!" Nick and Yuuki shouted together.

After a vortex of multi-colored light flooded his vision, Nick found himself at the entrance gate to floor thirty of New Aincrad.

Aincrad. He still wasn't used to that name, especially considering the Sword Art Online incident.

Nick actually hadn't been one of the ten thousand players trapped in Sword Art Online, having only started VRMMOs when he'd gotten ALfheim Online as a birthday present, despite his parents being extremely wary. Nick could understand them being worried that the incident would repeat itself, even though the one who'd trapped all those people, SAO's creator Akihiko Kayaba, was dead.

And, as it turned out, even ALfheim wasn't completely safe. Nobuyuki Sugou, the GM of ALfheim, disguised as Oberon the Fairy King, had intercepted three hundred players' minds to conduct experiments on mind control via fulldive technology. Even though he had eventually been defeated by Kirito, the one who'd beaten SAO, ALfheim had been shut down when the public learned of Sugou's experiments.

Though it was only temporary. Not too long after, ALfheim and many other VRMMOs were reborn through a new program called "The Seed". Along with the return of ALfheim came the return of Castle Aincrad from Sword Art Online, the players now intent on clearing all one hundred floors now that the virtual worlds were finally safe.

Nick swung his sword a few times, making sure his calibration was up to speed, before waiting for Yuuki to show up.

Nick's handle on ALfheim Online was Makoto, the Whirlwind Knight. He preferred using his swords and shields both offensively and defensively, able to think of new combinations on the fly as he continued to play. He had earned the moniker of "Whirlwind Knight" due to one of his signature moves being basically a tornado of sword slash attacks.

"Hey!" Yuuki shouted, rushing out from the teleport gate to meet Nick. "Couldn't wait for me, could you?"

"I just took a few steps, silly," Nick quipped. "Well, let's move out. Dahngrest is waiting for us."

"Dahngrest?" Yuuki repeated. "Seems like a rather silly name for a city."

"Well, from what I could gather, it's based on a similar city from a _really_ old RPG," Nick explained. "I think there, it was a city where guilds could come together and not be bound by the rules of their corrupt empire."

"It really does look like a nice place," Yuuki quipped. "Let's go see what it's got in store!"

And so, hand in hand, Nick and Yuuki entered the city of Dahngrest. The city was similar in many ways to a capital city, and at times, Nick thought it resembled Grandzam, the home city of the Knights of the Blood Oath back in Sword Art Online.

"Are the Sleeping Knights already here?" Nick asked, referring to Yuuki's guild.

"Yeah, they already went ahead," Yuuki stated. "Cardinal only knows where they're stationed by now."

Nick would have responded if he hadn't felt something strange nearby, almost as if they were being watched.

Nick reached for the handle of his sword, the Liberty Bell, just in case anything jumped out at them.

After a few seconds, the strange feeling went away and Nick relaxed his death grip on his sword. Still, the sensation lingered, leaving Nick to wonder what exactly was going on.

 _Eh, probably just some idiots trying to stalk us and take our stuff,_ Nick thought. _I'll just bet they don't know that I'm partied up with the "Absolute Sword". They'd abandon THAT idea pretty quickly if they knew that._

As Nick and Yuuki continued to explore, Nick took a good look at the horizon far ahead, knowing that the odd structure on the far edge of Dahngrest was the entrance to the floor labyrinth, which most likely wouldn't be unlocked until the next major game update in a few days, when floors thirty-one to forty would be open in New Aincrad.

"Okay, there's nothing to do here, is there?" Yuuki groaned.

"Probably because the labyrinth won't be open until the next update," Nick responded. "Wanna go back to floor twenty-two? I heard there's a new secret quest down there."

"Good idea!" Yuuki proclaimed, as they both jogged the short distance back to the floor's teleport gate. "Teleport, floor 22!"

And with that, the two vanished as rings of light surrounded them, eventually reappearing in the teleport plaza of Coral Village.

"Oh, and before you ask, Asuna's doing just fine," Yuuki giggled, knowing exactly what Nick was going to ask her. "She and Kirito-san are off on some random quest on floor 28."

"Just like them, huh?" Nick quipped. Though Nick had never personally met Asuna Yuuki, he had definitely heard of her legendary exploits. Nowadays, there was no one in ALfheim or New Aincrad who _hadn't_ heard of "Lightning Flash" Asuna.

"Okay, let's go find that quest," Yuuki proclaimed, marching off into the forest with Nick not far behind.

But again, Nick sensed something off about the area, as if there were people watching them.

 _Is it just my imagination?_ Nick thought. _Could my instincts just be playing with me? Or is there really someone trying to tail us? Do they want to swipe this quest out from under us?_

Nick once again gripped the handle of Liberty Bell. _Just let 'em try._

"Hey, Nick, I think I see something," Yuuki quipped, pointing towards an odd structure that easily stuck out amongst the tranquility of the Coral Forest. "You think that's where the quest starts?"

"Only one way to find out," Nick answered, and the two walked up to the structure. Nick looked at the info window above it, which read QUEST: REVENGE OF THE NORTH WITCH.

"North Witch? Someone _lives_ in that dank-looking dungeon?!" Yuuki gasped.

"Hey, this reminds me of something," Nick noted. "There was a quest back in the Old Aincrad that was tied to that house that Asuna and Kirito own. It had something to do with a Wicked Witch of the West, so maybe they added this quest as a bit of continuity."

"Well, if she wants her revenge, what do you say we go kick her face in?" Yuuki giggled.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Nick replied, walking up and activating the quest. The wall of light surrounding the structure dissolved, and the doors opened all on their own.

"Ready?" Nick asked, drawing Liberty Bell and equipping his shield, the Dreamcloud.

"You know it," Yuuki proclaimed as the two adventurers walked into the dungeon entrance.

However, as they disappeared from sight, three shadowy figures appeared from out of nowhere, flanking each side of the dungeon entrance.

"What do we do now?" the first figure wondered. "We can't go in while the quest is active."

"We wait for them to finish and return, then we strike," the second figure replied.

"This will be fun," the third figure laughed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Yuuki leapt back, swinging her sword around her to defend against the monster's storm of needle attacks. "Argh, this isn't working!" Yuuki growled. "This thing's got me pinned down!"

"Let me take a crack at it," Nick replied, raising Dreamcloud in front of him and rushing towards the cactus-themed skeletal knight. The monster roared and unleashed another storm of needles, but they simply bounced off of the Dreamcloud as Nick continued to rush forward.

Once he was close enough, Nick snuck a quick glance at the Cactuar Knight's HP bar; it was down to about half.

 _All right, now we're ready to party,_ Nick thought, readying his attack.

The Cactuar Knight snarled, swinging its scimitar at Nick, but he quickly blocked with Dreamcloud, them shoved it forward, pushing the Cactuar Knight off-balance.

"Now eat some of THIS!" Nick shouted, slashing out with Liberty Bell and catching the Cactuar Knight across its chest.

Liberty Bell's blade began to glow a bright orange, and Nick began to lash out with a savage flurry of sword strikes.

A left-horizontal spiral slash, a right-horizontal flourish, a vertical uppercut, a downward spike, four left-to-right-to-left slashes, a diagonal uppercut, and a downward chop, Liberty Bell's blade leaving orange light trails with each strike.

An outward stab, a right-hand slice, two diagonal slashes in an X formation, a quick slap with the flat of the blade, and finally, Nick gripped the blade tightly, leaping into the air and slicing downward with all the force of a crashing airliner, Liberty Bell tearing clean through the monster and its already depleted HP bar. The Cactuar Knight bellowed in rage and agony one last time before exploding into blue-green shards of light.

"YES!" Yuuki exclaimed, rushing up to Nick as he returned to his normal stance. "I _never_ get tired of watching that move, Nick."

Nick smiled in triumph. He had just defeated the Cactuar Knight with his own Original Sword Skill, Ars Arcanum, a deadly barrage of sword strikes that gave the opponent no time to counter or react once it connected. Nick knew, however, that if the first hit was blocked, the opponent could then block or counter the rest of the attack, so he always made sure to use his shield to throw the opponent off-balance before he unleashed Ars Arcanum.

"That should be the last of the knights," Nick stated, checking the dungeon map. "The boss room should be close by."

Nick chanted his healing spell, surrounding himself and Yuuki with a vortex of soft green light that instantly healed them both to full health.

"All right, you ready to take this witch down?" Nick quipped.

"Let's do it!" Yuuki proclaimed, and the two jogged a short distance to the room where the North Witch would be waiting.

Sure enough, the arena-styled room lit up with dark flames across the walls as a figure descended from the ceiling, eventually revealing itself as the boss descended, The North Witch, Embracer of Despair.

"You who destroyed my sister," the North Witch proclaimed, waving her scepter threateningly at Nick and Yuuki. "You who dare to show your faces in my lair, prepare to embrace despair unlike anything else in this world!"

Yuuki quickly raised her hands, chanting a spell that caused both her and Nick to glow a bright red, raising both their attack and defense exponentially.

"All right, Nick, we're all buffed out! Let's take her down!" Yuuki shouted. Nick nodded back, both of them drawing their weapons and charging into battle with the North Witch.

Almost immediately, the battle devolved into flat-out chaos, the North Witch flinging powerful spells every which way, and Nick and Yuuki dodging and countering as best they could while taking turns doing what damage they could. The North Witch, though she only had two health bars, seemed to have significant defenses, and was better at reading moves and countering than other monsters they'd faced recently.

The battle thankfully turned in their favor when Yuuki had opted to tank a hit while at close range and unleash a Quadruple Pain, giving Nick enough time to rush in before the North Witch could regain her balance and ravage her with another Ars Arcanum, easily emptying the first health bar.

"I see you will not be swayed," the North Witch proclaimed, a vortex of darkness surrounding her body before exploding into a dark aura that made her look even more menacing. "Then prepare to embrace oblivion!"

"All right, she's changing attack patterns!" Nick shouted. "You know the drill, Yuuki!"

"Roger!" Yuuki proclaimed, giving a cute mock-salute before charging in, lashing out with a Quadruple Pain...

...only for the North Witch to easily block it and counter with an overhead mass of dark magic that slammed Yuuki into the ground, creating a massive crater where she'd impacted.

"Oh, you're gonna _pay_ for that!" Nick shouted, gripping Liberty Bell tightly and chanting a spell. Holy light surrounded the blade, and Nick rushed over, dodging around another dark magic shot and swinging Liberty Bell, unleashing a large wave of holy magic that knocked the North Witch out of her flight pattern and straight to the ground. Nick didn't waste any time in leaping into the air and coming down hard, driving Liberty Bell straight through the North Witch's chest and impaling her on the ground before rushing over to where Yuuki was. Nick immediately chanted his healing spell and healed Yuuki completely.

"You okay?" Nick asked, helping Yuuki to her feet.

"I should be," Yuuki admitted. "But once I get a chance, I'm giving that witch lady a good shank! THAT HURT!"

"Well, I think we've got our chance now," Nick stated, pointing to where the North Witch was, impaled to the ground by Liberty Bell. "Okay, here's the plan: she's down to her last bit of health, so we're going to charge over there and finish her. I'll yank my sword out, and that'll most likely stun her long enough for you to whip out a Mother's Rosario. That should take her down."

"Best idea I've heard all day," Yuuki giggled, mimicking Nick's earlier words. "Let's finish off this nutcase!"

The two high-fived each other before dashing over. Nick quickly made a grab for his sword, yanking Liberty Bell out and freezing the North Witch in her place.

"Yuuki, DO IT!" Nick shouted, giving Yuuki the signal to attack. Yuuki readied her weapon and stabbed outwards five times, creating a horizontal line down the North Witch's chest. Yuuki spun around and stabbed out five more times, creating another line going the opposite way, both lines forming a sort of X. Finally, Yuuki reared back and thrust her sword forward with a loud battle cry, driving the point of her blade straight into the center of the X she'd formed with her earlier sword stabs. Purple light exploded from the North Witch's wounds upon impact, and her last HP bar dwindled to nothing.

"This is not the end!" the North Witch bellowed. "I will return! Just you wait and see!"

With that, the North Witch had spoken her last, and exploded into shards of light. The message QUEST CLEAR! appeared above both players' menu screens.

"We did it!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Oh, MAN, that was one heck of a fight!"

Suddenly, Yuuki felt something in her inventory that hadn't been there a few seconds ago. She looked down, and saw that a pendant was now hanging from her neck, surprisingly similar to the one that the North Witch had worn. Checking her information window, Yuuki saw that her new item was the Memento Pendant, obtained by defeating the boss with an Original Sword Skill.

"Oh, cool!" Yuuki giggled.

"It looks good on you," Nick admitted.

"Oh, you flatterer, you," Yuuki stated, blushing slightly, though she was immediately snapped out of her reverie when the entire area began to quake. "W-wha-what the heck's happening _now?!_ "

"It looks like the lair's collapsing!" Nick exclaimed. "Cliché, but it works! Let's get out of here!"

Nick and Yuuki hightailed it for the exit, still cursing the fact that they couldn't fly in a dungeon.

By the time they escaped back into the forest of Coral Village, night had fallen on ALfheim.

"Holy crap, how long were we in that dungeon?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Long enough to give us a run for our money," Yuuki gasped.

Nick, acting on pure instinct, brought Dreamcloud up to block a sword strike that had been on a course to impale him through the gut.

"All right, whoever's out there, show yourself!" Nick growled, and the three figures from earlier stepped out of the shadows, all wearing brownish-black hoods that obscured their avatars.

"Hey, wait, were you morons camping outside the dungeon the whole time we were in there?!" Yuuki exclaimed, drawing her sword.

"You could say that," the first figure proclaimed.

"And now, if you would be so kind as to hand over that pendant," the second figure taunted.

"Oh, you can FORGET IT!" Yuuki growled, clutching her pendant tightly. "I won this thing fair and square, so you can keep your grubby hands off of it!"

"I'm afraid that _we're not asking_ ," the third figure stated, drawing his longsword.

"Okay, I think I'm done talking," Yuuki proclaimed, getting into a battle stance. "Hey, Nick, you want me to give these guys a taste of what it means to mess with the Absolute Sword?"

"By all means," Nick quipped. "I'm not gonna stop ya."

"Yay!" Yuuki giggled.

The figures stopped at the mention of Yuuki's moniker. "Wait, did she say... oh, _shit_ , this girl is the Absolute Sword?!"

"I think we may have bitten off more than we can chew here."

"Assume a tactical retreat!"

"Not so fast, treasure thieves!" Yuuki proclaimed, cutting off the group's retreat with a wide sword slash that sent one of the members collapsing to the ground. This simple motion gave Nick and Yuuki ample time to unleash their Original Sword Skills and take down all three players.

"And that's how we clean house," Yuuki stated once the area was clear.

"See, I knew someone was trying to crib on us," Nick quipped. "I felt a strange presence as we got closer to the dungeon, but I didn't see anyone. I never expected them to wait until we cleared the quest to jump us."

"They probably knew there was a rare item in that dungeon and were too cowardly to do it themselves," Yuuki stated. "So they followed us and waited until we were done to get the drop on us."

Suddenly, a message flashed across Nick's information window.

"What's up?" Yuuki asked.

"That's my mom," Nick replied. "She's back home now."

"I guess that means you gotta go home," Yuuki groaned.

"Sadly, yes," Nick responded. "But it's just for tonight. You know I'll be back tomorrow."

"Okay, that's good enough for me," Yuuki laughed. "Let's get out of this forest, then. I swear all this pollen could give me allergies."

Nick had a good laugh at that as they both accepted their logout prompts together.

One bright flash later, in the real world, Nick took off his Amusphere as Yuuki lifted the Medicuboid off of her head.

"Well, that was fun, huh?" Nick quipped.

"You bet it was!" Yuuki giggled. "Got to explore a cool dungeon, got a rare item, and got to stomp some would-be treasure thieves! I'd say that's a good day."

"Well, I'd better get going before mom starts freaking out," Nick stated, adorning his backpack. "I'll see you tomorrow, Yuuki."

"Nick, wait."

Nick turned around, only for Yuuki to lean out and kiss him on the cheek.

"That's my thanks for being such a wonderful friend to me," Yuuki proclaimed. "You're awesome, Nick."

Nick couldn't do much but smile and hold his cheek where Yuuki had kissed him as he walked out of the room.

Yuuki smiled to herself as she covered up and let sleep overtake her.

As Nick walked down the street towards his house, he reflected on the time he'd spent with Yuuki. They had met two years ago, a year before Yuuki had been hospitalized, when he'd defended her from some particularly mean-spirited kids and their hurtful comments about Yuuki's condition. When Yuuki had ended up in the hospital, Nick had promised to visit her every day that he was able to, a feat that he hadn't yet broken.

Inwardly, Nick knew that Yuuki probably didn't have much time left to live unless the doctors made some serious progress on discovering a cure. But Nick had promised to always be by Yuuki's side...

...even if it was to the bitter end.

Nick began to recall the adventure of earlier, not knowing that he was being watched from afar. The shadowy figure, hidden by the alleyway's lack of light, cocked the gun he was holding...

...but decided against it. There was no fun in just ending it lickety-split like that.

Even if the boy wasn't a target, the figure knew that the boy was connected to Kirito in some way.

And the figure knew the best way to flush Kirito out.

But now wasn't the time for action. He had to gain more intel before they launched the next phase of their plan.

But the figure knew. Oh, yes, he knew.

By the end of this...

...the world would once again know the name of Death Gun.

 _To be continued..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On the next episode...

Yuuki: Nick, ALfheim's been updated! The floor thirty labyrinth just opened!

Nick: Well, looks like it's game on, then. Are the Sleeping Knights gonna take part?

Yuuki: Like we'd miss the chance to take this bad boy out!

Nick: Well, how about we all party up and take 'em down together?

Yuuki: Sounds like a plan to me! ...WHOA, that thing is freaky! What's it called, again?

Nick: The Adephagos, the Gluttonous.

Yuuki: Oof, that's _bone-chilling_.

Nick: But even that... seems like nothing compared to these rumors I've been hearing.

Yuuki: What rumors?

Nick: Hopefully, it's _just_ a rumor... Next time on _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario_ , "The Rumors Begin to Spread"!

Yuuki: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	2. The Rumors Begin to Spread

" _Hey, it's the disease girl again!"_

" _S-stop it..."_

" _Don't touch me, girl, I don't want to get your sickness!"_

 _SLAP!_

 _Yuuki looked up and saw that a boy, about a year older than her, had just slapped one of her tormentors across the face._

" _What's your_ _ **problem**_ _?!" the boy growled. "Have you idiots lost your damn minds?!"_

 _The person that the boy had slapped slowly got to his feet. "But, Nick, don't you know that this girl has AIDS?!"_

" _So freakin'_ _ **what**_ _?!" Nick shot back immediately, yanking the other boy over by his shirt collar. "That's no reason to treat her like a walking nightmare!"_

 _Nick glared at the three boys, causing them to back a few steps away. "Now leave her alone before I have to start_ _ **punching**_ _you!"_

 _That was enough to get the bullies to scramble away in fear._

" _Idiots..." Nick groaned before turning back to Yuuki. "I'm sorry you had to see all that."_

" _Y-You..." Yuuki gasped. "You actually defended me?"_

" _Of course," Nick replied. "No one should have to be treated like that, regardless of your condition. Seeing that just gets me so angry."_

 _Yuuki sniffled a few times before standing up. "I... I never really had any friends... because of my condition..."_

" _Well, how about I be your friend?" Nick asked._

 _Yuuki looked at Nick, surprise highlighting her face. "Y-You would... you want to be my friend?"_

" _Of course, silly," Nick chuckled._

 _A few tears fell from Yuuki's eyes as she leaped over to hug her new friend._

"I seriously can't believe it's been two years since then..." Yuuki sighed to herself as the clock reached eleven. She was used to late nights what with all the time she'd spent in the virtual world.

"I'm so glad we're friends, Nick," Yuuki giggled. "You gave me hope, just like Asuna did. I don't know if I can ever repay you for it, but you can be darn sure I'll do my best."

And with that, Yuuki laid her head on her pillow and finally fell to sleep.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Never give up on your dreams, especially if you consider them to be worth fighting for.)

The Blue Time Ranger presents...  
 _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario  
_ Story Created: September 14th, 2015  
Today's Episode: September 17th, 2015  
Rated: T for Teen

 **Summary:** Nick Kelly and Yuuki Konno have had a rather odd life. With Yuuki constantly in the hospital, Nick has taken it upon himself to care for her, knowing that he may not have much time left with his best friend. However, a series of strange events begin to plague them. Between ALfheim Online where Nick and Yuuki are being stalked by a strange guild, and the real world where rumors are spreading about the return of Death Gun, Nick and Yuuki will have to protect each other with their lives if they hope to survive...

 **On Today's Episode:** A few days after the North Witch quest, ALfheim Online has been updated, and the next ten floors of New Aincrad are ready to be explored. Nick and Yuuki decide to join the raid party to take on the floor 30 boss, The Adephagos, though a strange rumor begins to spread, a rumor related to an enemy that the world thought had been eliminated... an enemy that Kirito thought he stopped for good in Gun Gale Online...

 **Timeline Placement** : Though a slight AU to accomodate my OC, this story takes place before the end of the Mother's Rosario arc (Volume 7 of the novels and most of the second half of anime season 2), basically inbetween the time when Asuna reconciled with her mother and... *sniff* no spoilers. *sob* (even though you probably know already).

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own anything related to Sword Art Online. That's Reki Kawahara, not me. Anything I don't own, I am just borrowing. The character of Nick Kelly belongs to me, and he many only be used in your stuff with my permission. (I'll probably always say yes, as long as you don't make him look bad.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 2: The Rumors Begin to Spread

"Mom, I'm home!" Nick exclaimed once he stepped into his house.

"How was your day, dear?" Rhea Kelly asked, waiting in the living room and watching the late news program.

"Oh, we had a _blast_ today," Nick answered. "Yuuki and I got to explore a bonus dungeon and take down this really tough boss. When we got out, some dorks tried to jump us for the rare item we got in that dungeon, but we took 'em all out!"

"Sounds like you had fun," Rhea giggled. She really didn't understand the hype of all this virtual reality nonsense at times. After all, she'd grown up during the time when video games were just something you played on your television, not something you were actually experiencing in the game world itself. But, as long as it made her son happy...

"It's always fun partying up with a player like Yuuki," Nick explained. "She's a _beast_ in ALfheim, especially considering those punks that jumped us just about wet themselves when they learned they were dealing with the Absolute Sword!"

"You two sound like you really go well together," Rhea noted.

"She's a great friend, mom," Nick answered. "She _never_ lets her condition get her down anymore, especially since those idiots at school stopped bullying her. She's... well, she's just a wonderful person."

"With how much you gush about her, you kind of sound like you're in love with her," Rhea teased.

Nick suddenly gasped at his mother's seemingly innocent observation. Was he _really_ in love with Yuuki?

Nick thought hard about it, reminiscing on all the fun they'd had over the past two years, bonding over simple things like manga, all the adventures they'd had in ALfheim and other games...

...and the last memory that flowed into his mind was of not even an hour ago, when Yuuki had kissed him on the cheek before he'd left the hospital.

"Nick? Is everything okay?" Rhea asked, wondering why Nick had hesitated in answering.

"To be honest with you, mom, I just had to think about what you said..." Nick stated. "...and, well... yeah, I think I _am_ in love with her. She's a wonderful friend, and I'm so happy we got to know each other."

"Then, why don't you go ahead and tell her?" Rhea asked.

Nick sighed. "Because neither of us know how long she has left to live. I know the doctors there are working as hard as they can to hopefully get a cure for her condition out as soon as they can, but even they're not sure how long it could take. By the time they discover a cure, it could be too late..."

"Then that should be all the reason you need to tell her," Rhea replied. "Even if it's only for a short time, you'll have made the most of the time you guys have, right?"

Nick froze. _I never thought about it like that._

"Okay, I'll tell her tomorrow," Nick replied. "That'll probably be my best chance, considering lots of us are probably going to be really busy in the next couple days when the next ALfheim update opens the boss on floor 30."

"Just tell her as soon as you can, okay?" Rhea continued. "That way, you won't spend your life wondering what could have been."

Nick was about to respond when something on the news caught his attention.

" _Continuing our top story from last night, a young adult of about nineteen was found murdered in the south district the night before. The strangest thing about this case, discovered by today's autopsy, was that the victim was apparently poisoned before the murder. Local authorities could not make out the strange symbol that was drawn in blood on the victim's arm, but they believe it is related to a gang. We will have more on this story as it comes."_

Nick got a good look at the symbol that the report had mentioned, and a strange chill came over him. That symbol... it couldn't be.

Nick's mind flashed back to a few months ago. The world of Gun Gale Online. Yuuki had showed it to him, even though he hadn't been interested (he was never any good at shooting games). Then came the news reports.

Some wacko shooting players' avatars in GGO and somehow killing them in the real world. Many who knew of it thought that the SAO incident was repeating itself. It turned out to have been a conspiracy by a pair of brothers and their accomplice, collectively calling themselves "Death Gun". One of them would find a player's avatar in GGO and shoot them, and at the very same time, the other two would inject their victim with a drug that stopped their heart and killed them, making it appear that killing the avatar killed the player.

At the end, Kirito, the one who'd cleared SAO, had been the one to take down Death Gun by saving one of their intended victims. Though two of the members of Death Gun had been apprehended, one of them was apparently still on the loose.

But the thing that unnerved Nick the most was the symbol itself.

It appeared to be a crudely drawn version of the logo representing Laughing Coffin. He had heard of their crimes through Yuuki, who had relayed Kirito's story through Asuna. Laughing Coffin had been a red player guild back in Sword Art Online, killing players for the fun of it. Kirito had deduced that one of Death Gun's members had used to be part of Laughing Coffin.

Did this mean that Laughing Coffin or Death Gun was resurfacing in the real world?

It was a scary thing to think about.

But, thankfully, Nick was able to push that thought out of his mind by thinking about how he was going to confess to Yuuki tomorrow.

From far away, the same figure that had been watching Nick earlier ducked back into the shadows. So now, the secret was out. Good. Phase one was complete.

"I'd better report back to the boss," the figure proclaimed before slinking back into the dank alleyway, being swallowed up by the shadows as if he'd never been there at all.

 _The next day..._

"Ah, Kelly-san, bright and early today," the receptionist proclaimed as Nick walked in.

"How is she today, doctor?" Nick asked, still running thoughts through his head of how he was going to tell Yuuki what he'd realized last night.

"She's feeling a little better," the receptionist answered. "She can stay awake for a lot longer now when she's not on ALfheim."

"It's kinda sucky that she still has to stay in the hospital until they can find a cure for her illness," Nick replied.

"We're doing all we can to get a cure ready," the receptionist stated. "Just stay strong, both of you."

"Roger that," Nick replied, signing himself in on the clipboard before making his way to Yuuki's room.

Nick stopped himself outside the door to Yuuki's room, still trying to find just the right thing to say.

 _Well, here goes nothing,_ Nick thought, opening the door and stepping in. Yuuki was, as usual, reading one of her borrowed manga.

"Hey, Nick!" Yuuki exclaimed. "You gotta read this, it's getting _really_ good!"

"I'm the one who lent you those manga, Yuuki," Nick chuckled. "I've read that one in particular about a thousand times."

"Don't spoil it for me, then!" Yuuki proclaimed. "Okay, that's out of the way, so what's on the plan for today?"

"Actually, Yuuki, I... I just..." _Come on, Nick, just go for it! What have you got to lose?!_

"What's up?" Yuuki asked, flashing a grin that Nick found extremely adorable.

 _All right, here goes._ "Yuuki, I... I realized something last night. You and I, we've been tight for a really long time, and I was just happy to have a great friend like you."

Nick, not even trusting his own movements, reached out to take Yuuki's hands into his own. "But... when you gave me that kiss last night, mom said something that got me thinking."

Yuuki just sat there, stunned into silence. Was he really...?

"She said that the way I 'gush' about you and the awesome adventures we've had, she thought I was in love with you. And, well..."

Deciding that it was now or never, Nick summoned up all his courage and blurted out exactly what he wanted to say. "I love you, Yuuki!"

Silence pervaded the room for a few seconds as Yuuki let those words sink in. After a beat, Yuuki's eyes began to fill with tears.

 _Oh, crap._ "Yuuki, I didn't mean to freak you out or anything... oh, god, I probably shouldn't have..."

Nick was abruptly cut off as Yuuki threw her arms around Nick. "Oh, Nick, I love you, too!"

"Y-you do?"

"Absolutely!" Yuuki exclaimed. "You've been the greatest friend I could have ever asked for, Nick. You stood up for me when no one else did. And, you've come to visit me and just keep me company every single day for no other reason than that you wanted to. How could I _not_ fall in love with someone as awesome as you are?!"

Nick couldn't help but blush at what Yuuki said about him.

"In fact..." Yuuki's grin grew bigger. "Believe it or not, Nick, I actually kissed you last night because I wanted to know if you felt the same way I did. And I guess I was right!"

"To be honest, I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to say it, because I was a little worried on how you'd react," Nick admitted. "But mom said to just go ahead and do it, so I wouldn't spend my life wondering what could have been."

"Kinda cliché when you stop and think about it, but that's life, right?" Yuuki replied.

"Also, since we both know... well," Nick stammered, not wanting to sound idiotic.

"Oh, I know, Nick," Yuuki answered. "But hey, remember, let's just make the most of our time, okay? Just because you can live a long life..."

"...doesn't mean it can't come to a short end," Nick finished, echoing a statement Yuuki always liked to make about living your life to the fullest while you still had the chance to.

"So..." Nick quipped, suddenly feeling a lot more confident. "I know how cliché it seems, but... could you say it again, Yuuki?"

Yuuki just giggled. Nick was always so funny.

Regardless, Yuuki squeezed Nick's hands. "I love you, Nick."

Nick couldn't help but smile back. "I love you, too, Yuuki. Oh, one more question."

"Aw, only one more?" Yuuki laughed.

"Can I... can I kiss you?" Nick asked. "You know, for _reals_?"

Yuuki nodded. "Go right ahead."

Reaching out for some extra courage, Nick leaned over and touched his lips to Yuuki's. Yuuki slipped her arms around Nick so she could kiss him back.

"Thank you for always being there for me, Nick," Yuuki stated, hugging Nick tightly.

"Hey, remember what I said?" Nick replied. "I'll _always_ be there for you, even if it _is_ to the bitter end."

"And even then, it'll have to drag me away kicking and screaming," Yuuki giggled.

"Everything okay in here?" Kurahashi, Yuuki's doctor, asked as he stepped into the room.

"Yep! Everything's a-okay, doc!" Yuuki proclaimed. "Nick and I were just talking about stuff."

Kurahashi flashed a knowing smile.

"Oh, don't you start," Nick groaned. "We've only been hooked up for not even three minutes and now everyone's giving us _looks_."

"Oh, I'm just teasing," Kurahashi admitted. "How are you feeling today, Yuuki?"

"I feel like... well, like I could take on the final floor of Aincrad!" Yuuki proclaimed, striking a silly pose.

"You know, Yuuki, ever since you were admitted here, you seem to be taking this whole situation rather well," Kurahashi noted.

"Well, I was pretty sad at first, but I learned from two very special people that I have to fight for what I want out of life, even if it costs me my life," Yuuki answered. "Asuna taught me how to be happy with my life, and Nick taught me to live my life to the fullest as long as I have the chance."

"So, I guess I don't really need to ask, but you two are... well, a 'thing' now, right?" Kurahashi asked.

"Yep!" Yuuki proclaimed. "Nick's my boyfriend now. So no one better mess with him, or you'll feel the wrath of the Absolute Sword!"

Nick laughed at Yuuki's proclamation. "And conversely, anyone who tries to mess with my girlfriend is gonna get shafted by the Whirlwind Knight!"

Nick and Yuuki looked at each other for a few seconds, silently wondering what the heck they'd just said, before bursting out into happy laughter.

Even Kurahashi had to chuckle at the pair's antics.

 _Later, ALfheim Online, Floor 30, Dahngrest..._

"Wow, the city still looks beautiful!" Yuuki gasped as she and Nick stepped into Dahngrest, holding hands as a testament to the fact they were now a couple.

"It's definitely a nice place," Nick replied, but before he could say what he thought was nice about Dahngrest, a loud scream erupted from a nearby intersection.

"What the heck was that?!" Yuuki exclaimed.

"Let's go check it out!" Nick responded, and the pair rushed off to check out the disturbance.

When they got to the source of the scream, all that they saw were a group of players surrounding what appeared to be another player's Remain Light.

"What happened?" Yuuki asked.

"Some hooded freak just killed my friend!" an Undine shouted. "In broad daylight, too!"

Nick waved his hand, chanting his revival spell. Rings of light surrounded the Remain Light and reformed its player, a Cait Sith, right on the spot.

"You okay, guy?" Nick asked.

"I... I think so," the Cait Sith stammered. "Some wacko in a dark hood just came up and stabbed me, saying something like 'we will be reborn' and 'you will be the first'. I had no idea what he meant, I just wanted to get out of there before I died!"

"I would have passed it off as just a normal PK if I hadn't heard the rumors lately," the Undine sighed.

"Wait, rumors? What's going on?" Yuuki asked.

"There's been rumors of a strange guild stalking all over ALfheim," the Undine explained. "No one knows who they are or if they're connected to anything. All anyone knows is that they're a bunch of people who wear black hoods to obscure their avatars."

Just then, Yuuki realized something. "Wait, black hoods? Nick, didn't we take down a trio of those losers the other day?"

"Hey, yeah, we did," Nick replied. "They wanted the rare item we got from the floor 22 bonus dungeon."

"I thought they were just a band of thieves after players' rare items," the Undine noted. "But every time they attack, they say some strange quote, almost as if they're planning something."

"Do you know if they have a symbol? Something we can link them to?" Yuuki asked.

"Well, I managed to catch a picture of the guy before I was killed," the Cait Sith replied, activating his menu and bringing out the photo he'd taken. "I think that tattoo on his arm might be what you're looking for."

Nick looked at the photo...

...and suddenly wished he hadn't even asked.

The tattoo on the hooded figure's arm was crude, and in some places even a bit smudged, as if the figure had already gotten into an altercation.

But Nick recognized the shape immediately. He'd seen that very shape on the news last night. A crudely drawn rendition of the Laughing Coffin logo, only it had three red dots crossing over it.

"Say, Nick?" Yuuki asked after the commotion had cleared up. "You looked like you were about to have a heart attack back there."

Nick sighed heavily. "I sincerely hope I'm wrong about this, but..."

Nick turned around, looking Yuuki straight in the eyes. "You remember the Death Gun case from a few months ago?"

"Yeah," Yuuki answered. "Asuna told me, remember? Some nut was going around and killing players in both worlds."

"There was a murder in the south district last night, in the real world," Nick continued. "The autopsy says the victim was poisoned before being murdered, and the attacker drew a symbol in blood on the victim's arm. It was the exact same as the one in that photo."

"Wait just a second," Yuuki interrupted. "You're not implying what I _think_ you are, are you?"

"Honestly, we don't have much info at the moment," Nick replied. "But remember that only two members of Death Gun were arrested after Kirito took 'em down. One of them is still on the loose."

Yuuki ran all of that through her mind, and eventually came to a realization. "You think... that the one who got away... you think he's trying to reform Death Gun?"

"It's the only thing I can think of that makes sense," Nick answered, squeezing Yuuki's hand to calm himself down. Just _thinking_ about Death Gun's possible return unnerved him to no end.

"Okay, but remember, Nick, we weren't involved in any of that nonsense," Yuuki stated. "Death Gun wouldn't have any reason to come after us, would he?"

"You've... actually got a point, there," Nick realized. "And remember how those knuckleheads tried to run away when they found out you were the Absolute Sword."

"They probably won't be bothering us anymore," Yuuki proclaimed. "I'm sure even Death Gun would know better than to mess with the strongest swordsman in ALfheim."

"Let's hope so," Nick replied.

In his mind, however, Nick wasn't so sure. He realized that Death Gun would most likely go after Kirito first, due to him being the one who had taken Death Gun down initially. And Nick also knew that they best way to flush a player out was to target the people associated with him.

Nick only knew Kirito and his friends through Yuuki's tales, but he knew that Asuna was great friends with Yuuki.

Nick subconsciously gripped the handle of his sword. _Just let those bastards try something._

"So, how about we go find a field to power-level?" Yuuki offered. "I'm sure we wouldn't want to spend the rest of our day freaking out over some stupid rumors, right?"

"Good idea, Yuuki," Nick quipped. "Besides, it's only two more days until the next update, and that means we'll all be going through the floor thirty labyrinth."

"Oh, yeah! It's almost boss time, so let's go buff our skills!" Yuuki exclaimed as the pair activated their wings and flew off to find some monsters to hunt.

The next two days passed by relatively quickly, and in no time at all, the way to the floor thirty boss was open.

Nick and Yuuki had decided the day before to tag along with the raid party so they could get all the information they could about the boss.

"So, Nick, what do you think _this_ boss is gonna be?" Yuuki wondered as they trailed the raid party through the creepy corridor. The floor thirty labyrinth reflected the aesthetics of a haunted house, giving everything in it a rather haunting appearance.

"Let's hope it's more of a challenge," Nick stated, drawing Liberty Bell as the party approached the boss door. "Because from what I heard, the floor twenty-nine boss was _pathetic_."

"Probably just a breather boss for everyone," Yuuki answered. "The bosses on twenty-seven and twenty-eight were pretty tough."

"That probably means this one's going to be aggravating as all heck, too," Nick groaned. "Fantastic. I really don't want any more repressed memories of what the floor twenty-eight boss did to me..."

"Oh, come on, it was funny!" Yuuki giggled, patting Nick on the back.

"Funny for you guys," Nick sighed. "That thing _manhandled_ me!"

"Hey, don't worry, all right?" Yuuki stated, smiling gently at Nick. "You're officially my boyfriend now, so that means I'm gonna work double-time to watch your back, so you never get manhandled by a boss again."

"Thanks, Yuuki. That really means a lot to me," Nick replied, leaning over to kiss Yuuki on the cheek.

"It's you again!"

Yuuki looked over at the man who'd addressed her, instantly frowning as she recognized him.

"Hey, you're one of those jerks from the raid party on floor twenty-seven!" Yuuki growled. "What are you doing back here?! You're not trying to steal our kill away from us again, are you?!"

"I don't see how that's any of your business, girlie," the man proclaimed, drawing his sword and pointing it threateningly at Yuuki. He was still sore about that mess.

Nick acted without a thought, drawing Liberty Bell and slashing at the man's chest, causing him to fall on his back.

"Watch those meat-paws around my girlfriend, buster," Nick snarled. "You touch her with that sword hand and you'll lose it."

"Down, Nick," Yuuki stated. "We don't want the jerk to lose his head, now, do we?"

"As long as he watches himself," Nick replied.

"Yeah, that was the jerk who tried to deny us on floor 27," Yuuki explained to Nick. "If I know him, he's probably gonna try and hinder us, since he's pretty irked about us shutting him out last time."

"Let's focus on the boss for now," Nick replied. "If he tries anything, I'll take him down."

Finally, the raid party reached the gate to the boss, with Nick and Yuuki covertly making their way to the front of the pack.

"Okay, raid party!" the leader of the group, a Spriggan, proclaimed. "According to intel obtained from a previous raid party, this boss is known as the Adephagos, the Gluttonous. However, this is about all we know, seeing as how the previous raid party was summarily defeated by the boss."

"How about Nick and I scout ahead for you guys?" Yuuki offered. "We'll see if there's anything you need to know before we all jump in."

The leader nodded, pressing on the gate button, causing it to dissolve.

"After you, my lady," Nick teased. Yuuki blushed before walking through the gate with Nick close behind.

The boss room was apparently at least three times larger than the boss room of floor 29. Nick began to wonder if the boss was larger to compensate.

"I don't see anything out of the ordinary," Yuuki noted. "Just a much larger boss room. I think it's clear, guys!"

The raid leader nodded and began to walk forward.

He hadn't even taken two steps before the gate rematerialized and sealed itself, effectively trapping Nick and Yuuki in the boss room.

"Oh, crap," Nick growled. "That's _definitely_ not good."

"It was a trap!" Yuuki exclaimed, just as the boss room went dark.

A few seconds later, the myriad torches around the edge of the room lit themselves, their firelight revealing the boss.

"Oh, my god, _that thing_ is the boss?!" Yuuki shouted.

Suspending itself from the room's ceiling was a grotesque, malformed monster that didn't even seem to have a form at all. It hung from the ceiling by multiple swirling tentacles formed from water, its seven eyes, all scattered around its deformed body, blazed with fiery light, tendrils of air snaked around its main body, and its four legs, stumpy compared to the rest of its body (if you could even call it a body) were large, rocky spires with claw-like toenails jutting out at least four feet.

"Okay, that is _hands down_ the ugliest thing I've _ever_ seen in ALfheim," Nick proclaimed.

"I... don't think it's noticed us yet," Yuuki noted. "We're not at full health after that last monster attack, so I think we have some time to heal up."

"You read my mind," Nick replied, chanting his healing spell to bring both of them back to full health. A quick check of both of their mana pools, and they turned back to the boss and drew their swords with an audible scrape of metal.

The Adephagos gurgled, an unearthly, inhuman sound that would have made Yuuki's hair stand on end if this were the real world, and turned to face the pair.

Meanwhile, outside the room, the raid party were all discussing what to do, not knowing that the boss had set up a trap.

"What's going on here?" an Undine shouted, making her way through the crowd and eventually revealing herself as the one and only "Lightning Flash" Asuna.

"The boss room was a trap!" the raid leader exclaimed. "A brown-haired Sylph and a purple-haired Imp went in to scout for us and they got sealed inside with the boss!"

A purple-haired Imp?

Asuna gasped loudly when she realized who it was. "Yuuki!" Asuna shouted, rushing to the door and beating on it, to no avail.

"Well, Yuuki, guess it's just you and me for this one," Nick proclaimed. "You think just the two of us can take it down?"

"Hey, the deadly combo of the Whirlwind Knight and the Absolute Sword hasn't been stopped yet," Yuuki giggled. "I'm not about to let our streak be broken!"

"Truer words," Nick replied. "Let's rock this thing's world."

Before Nick could move, Yuuki spun him around and kissed him deeply.

"There. For luck," Yuuki giggled. "Now let's take 'em out."

No more words needed to be said. Nick and Yuuki joined hands, readied their weapons, and charged towards the Adephagos in tandem.

 _To be continued..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On the next episode...

Yuuki: Well, looks like it's just you and me, Nick! I hope you're ready!

Nick: It looks like this thing can utilize the four classic elements in its attack patterns. I think we've got our work cut out for us!

Yuuki: Hey, once we take this thing down, you wanna... wait a minute, what the heck is _that_?!

Nick: Hey, how did this guy get inside the boss room?!

Yuuki: He better not be trying to kill-steal!

Nick: Don't worry, Yuuki. If he tries anything, he's goin' down, too. Next time on _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario_ , "Laser-Sighted Showdown"!

Yuuki: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	3. Laser-Sighted Showdown

"Asuna, what's going on?" Kirito asked, having just caught up with the raid party. "I heard something happened with the boss."

"It was a trap," Asuna answered, her hands still shaking. "Yuuki and a friend of hers went ahead to scout out the boss room, and the boss apparently sealed them in. So they're the only ones fighting the boss!"

Kirito drew his swords. "Is there any way we can get in?"

"As far as we can tell, no," the raid leader answered. "We've attempted to force the door open, but a few of our mages have figured out that the boss is sealing the room from within. We're going to try some unorthodox spells and hopefully get it open. "I don't know how skilled those two are, but against a boss, they might be hopelessly outclassed."

"Oh, I wouldn't count Yuuki out so easily," Kirito quipped.

Before Kirito could respond, he saw something strange within the crowd of players who had joined the raid party.

One of them, obscured by a conspicuous-looking black hood, appeared to be logging out.

"Daddy, I'm sensing something strange," Yui proclaimed, appearing on Kirito's shoulder.

"What is it, Yui?" Kirito asked.

"That player that just seemed to log out just teleported into the boss room," Yui explained.

"Wait, is that even possible?" Kirito gasped.

"The way this boss room is set up, that would only be possible by a system exploit or through hacking," Yui continued. "I don't know which one it could be, though..."

"Whoever that is, I'm concerned," Kirito stated. "He had a black hood on, like those players from the rumors."

"I'll keep an eye on the situation, daddy," Yui proclaimed, floating up and flying around the room, scanning what she could.

 _Why would someone exploit the system just to get into the boss room?_ _They can't be that desperate, can they?_ Kirito thought.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Never give up on your dreams, especially if you consider them to be worth fighting for.)

The Blue Time Ranger presents...  
 _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario  
_ Story Created: September 14th, 2015  
Today's Episode: September 19th, 2015  
Rated: T for Teen

 **Summary:** Nick Kelly and Yuuki Konno have had a rather odd life. With Yuuki constantly in the hospital, Nick has taken it upon himself to care for her, knowing that he may not have much time left with his best friend. However, a series of strange events begin to plague them. Between ALfheim Online where Nick and Yuuki are being stalked by a strange guild, and the real world where rumors are spreading about the return of Death Gun, Nick and Yuuki will have to protect each other with their lives if they hope to survive...

 **On Today's Episode:** With Nick and Yuuki trapped in the boss room and all on their own when it comes to facing the Adephagos, they decide to give it everything they've got. However, events take a slightly strange turn when another black-hooded figure makes his way into the boss room, and his sights are set on the Absolute Sword. Now, they have to juggle battling the Adephagos _and_ taking down the strange figure before their resources wear thin...

 **Timeline Placement** : Though a slight AU to accomodate my OC, this story takes place before the end of the Mother's Rosario arc (Volume 7 of the novels and most of the second half of anime season 2), basically inbetween the time when Asuna reconciled with her mother and... *sniff* no spoilers. *sob* (even though you probably know already).

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own anything related to Sword Art Online. That's Reki Kawahara, not me. Anything I don't own, I am just borrowing. The character of Nick Kelly belongs to me, and he many only be used in your stuff with my permission. (I'll probably always say yes, as long as you don't make him look bad.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 3: Laser-Sighted Showdown

"All right, Nick, what's the plan here?" Yuuki asked as she and Nick barreled full stop towards the Adephagos.

Nick dodged away from a fireball that the Adephagos had hurled at him. "Looks like he can use the four elements," Nick noted. "Fitting that he's got four health bars."

"So, we've got fire moves first, huh?" Yuuki quipped.

Sure enough, the Adephagos roared before unleashing a fiery laser beam that swept along the ground ahead of Nick and Yuuki's running path, forcing them to jump back.

"Okay, not nice!" Yuuki growled, swinging her sword and cutting down one of the water tentacles that swung their way.

"All right, let's think of a plan," Nick stated. "Do you see any weak spots?"

Yuuki studied the Adephagos' creepy, mutated form, eventually seeing a strange quartet of jewels, each one alight with the color of its respective element, though only one of said jewels was glowing brightly.

"Hey, what about those jewels?" Yuuki stated. "I can see four of 'em, one for each elemental appendage the nightmare's got."

The Adephagos lashed out with another water tentacle that Nick swiftly cut down. "From what I can gather, each weak point is only active on its corresponding attack pattern," Nick noted. "So that probably means we can only reliably attack its fire jewel thing at the moment."

"Question is, where is it?!" Yuuki exclaimed, dodging another tentacle before cutting it apart. "I seriously don't want to be cutting these manhandlers down all day!"

Nick eventually spotted the red jewel on the Adephagos' head. "There it is!"

"Right, then, next question, how do we get all the way up there?" Yuuki replied. "I don't see any reliable way to get that high."

"Remember how you finished the boss on twenty-seven?" Nick quipped, hoping Yuuki would get the idea.

Thankfully, she did, smiling brightly. "Of course, the stepping stone!" Yuuki giggled.

Nick took a few steps back as Yuuki turned around and dashed back towards the entrance of the boss room, only to turn right back around and start charging.

The Adephagos apparently saw this and unfurled numerous water tentacles, aiming all of them for Nick to prevent Yuuki from reaching its weak point.

Nick, however, simply smirked before brandishing Liberty Bell and unleashing one of the Sylph races' signature Sword Skills, Whirling Curtain, where Nick swung his sword around so swiftly that it seemed to form a spherical curtain of sword slashes around him, forcing all the tentacles to back away.

Once the attack stopped, Yuuki leapt into the air, hopping onto Nick's shoulders and using him as a springboard so she could leap high into the air and propel herself towards the fire jewel on the Adephagos' head.

"No wasting time, gotta go all out!" Yuuki shouted, unleashing a Mother's Rosario on the jewel, shattering it into many pieces and causing the Adephagos to scream in rage as its first health bar dropped to zero.

"Wow, this guy really doesn't like Sword Skills, apparently," Yuuki noted as Nick ran over to catch her.

"Looks that way," Nick stated, readying Liberty Bell as the Adephagos' upper pair of eyes exploded into light shards, meaning it could no longer use fire moves. "Okay, so what element is next?"

They got their answer to that when a large tidal wave erupted from two of the tentacles that kept the Adephagos suspended. Nick and Yuuki ran to the side to avoid it, since despite the tidal wave's wide berth, it only seemed to go in a straight line.

"At least that seems to be a breather," Yuuki sighed. "Now, where's that next weak point?"

The Adephagos roared loudly, and just as Nick was about to duck away from another tentacle lash, a bolt of lightning dropped from the sky and drove Nick to the ground.

"Nick!" Yuuki shouted, spinning to cut down two more tentacles before rushing over to help Nick to his feet. "Are you all right?"

Yuuki took a look and saw that, despite the severity of the lightning strike, Nick hadn't taken that much damage.

"Thank the Shock Charm I synthesized a few days ago," Nick quipped, showing off the lightning-bolt ring on his right index finger. "I was getting sick of those storms the other day and nearly getting flash-fried almost _two hundred times_ , so I synth'd this baby. Increases your resistance to electric-based magic by sixty percent."

Nick slowly got to his feet, Yuuki supporting him. "Even still, that attack _hurt_ , despite me not taking that much damage. So let's try not to get hit by that again."

"Roger!" Yuuki proclaimed as they dodged away from another tidal wave.

After a while of dodging waterspouts and tidal waves, Nick eventually found the second jewel in one of the Adephagos' myriad water tentacles.

Deciding to try a bait-and-switch tactic, Nick wiggled Liberty Bell around, trying to draw the tentacle that held the jewel into attacking.

Sure enough, it worked, and the tentacle lashed out, only for Nick to jump back a second before it would have it, and the tentacle just lodged itself into the ground on impact.

Nick immediately sprang into action, unleashing an Ars Arcanum on the jewel, which by the end of the assault shattered and dropped the Adephagos' second health bar to zero as well.

"Is it me, or is this boss really easy?" Yuuki wondered. "Just one use of our specials each and it's already half dead!"

"Well, my guess is that it was probably meant to be fought by a raid party, not just us two," Nick answered. "Consider this thing is basically using nothing but elemental spells. Maybe it's more of a magic-based boss and physical skills seem to be its detriment."

"So, these spells its using are meant to attack more than just two targets?" Yuuki noted. "Well, no wonder we're kicking its' face in!"

At that point, from far off, on the edge of the room, the hooded figure undid his invisibility, then aimed a powerful magic spell...

"Hey, Yuuki, there's a laser aiming at you," Nick noted.

"Wait, what?" Yuuki quipped before catching a sight of the hooded figure just in time for him to fire off a barrage of dark magic blasts at the pair.

"Nick, it's one of those hooded Death Gun creepoids!" Yuuki exclaimed.

"Wait, how did he get into the boss room?!" Nick shouted.

Yuuki dodged away from the dark shots, but they just came. "I think we've got bigger problems, Nick! If this jerk keeps firing on us, we won't be able to concentrate on the boss!"

"All right, then I'll go take that freak down," Nick stated, brandishing Liberty Bell. "You just focus on destroying that earth jewel!"

Yuuki nodded, turning back to the Adephagos just as it dropped down to the ground by its remaining tentacles and striking the ground with its rocky legs and creating upheavals for Yuuki to dodge through.

"All right, asshole," Nick growled. "Let's dance."

Nick rushed for the figure, avoiding the dark shots while cutting through the ones he couldn't. He knew he couldn't completely cut them like Kirito could, but the individual shots were weak enough where he could just swing his sword and dissipate them.

The figure brought out a large, black longsword and swung it just in time to counter Nick's overhead slash attack.

Nick retaliated by swiping his right leg out, which tripped the figure up enough for Nick to unleash a Razor Claw, a trio of up-and-down sword slices that cut the figure in half.

But, as the figure's halves fell to the ground, Nick again caught a glimpse of the symbol. The casket of Laughing Coffin crossed with three dots in a triangle formation.

"Relish in this victory, boy," the figure proclaimed. "But you... will not stop... our vengeance..."

With those last words, the figure exploded into shards of light, leaving only his Remain Light.

Nick shuddered slightly. That only confirmed his thoughts about the rumors. Johnny Black must have decided to reform the Death Gun conspiracy. But why now? It had only been a few months since the Shinkawa brothers had been arrested. Johnny should have known that with the Death Gun case still fresh in everyone's minds, the police would catch onto his schemes quickly.

But maybe he was playing it slowly, just one thing at a time. No one ever said he was in a hurry, after all.

"Hey, Nick! Just one more jewel to go!" Yuuki exclaimed, catching Nick's attention. "If you're done with that Death Gun creep, come over here and help me mop this guy up!"

Nick shook off his uneasiness. His girlfriend needed his help.

Nick turned around and brandished Liberty Bell, charging back into the fray. The Adephagos had lost its rocky legs, no doubt due to Yuuki taking out the earth jewel. All that remained were the malformed body and the tendrils of air surrounding it. Nick knew that as long as those tendrils shielded the body, they wouldn't be able to strike a decisive blow.

"All right, final charge!" Yuuki exclaimed.

The Adephagos responded by swinging its arms and dropping circular discs of razor-sharp wind onto the battlefield, forcing Nick and Yuuki to stay on the move constantly.

"Hey, Nick, I think the jewel is in his hand," Yuuki noticed.

"Then let's go take it out before it forces me to make the obvious joke," Nick quipped. The two rushed in, only to be forced back by a powerful gale.

"All right, maybe it won't be that simple," Nick groaned.

"Nick, I think I've got an idea," Yuuki proclaimed. "The two tentacles it has left are still holding it to the ceiling. I'll bet that if we take those out, it'll make the Adephagos go BOOM and stun it so we can finish it off."

"All right, let's go with that," Nick quipped.

Yuuki raised her hand, chanted a spell, and multiple blades of purplish-black light erupted from her free hand, shooting up to the ceiling and severing the remaining tentacles keeping the Adephagos suspended. The beast roared in pain and crashed to the ground with much pageantry.

"Now, let's wreck 'em!" Yuuki proclaimed, dashing over to the Adephagos' right hand and jamming her sword into the wind jewel. It cracked and dropped the Adephagos' last health bar to about half, but didn't seem to have any other effect.

Nick quickly followed suit with a close-range Razor Claw, doing the needed damage and shattering the wind jewel. The Adephagos thrashed about in unmitigated agony and rage as its wind shield evaporated and its health bar dropped to one hit point.

"All right, its defenses are down!" Yuuki exclaimed.

"What do you say, Yuuki? Wanna take him out together?" Nick offered.

"With pleasure!" Yuuki replied.

Nick and Yuuki stood next to each other, touched swords, then brought them back before lunging forward in one final strike, both blades piercing into the Adephagos' head. The creature flailed around, attempting to get in one last strike, only to stop and fall limp before flickering and exploding into shards of light.

"YES!" Yuuki exclaimed, leaping over to hug Nick. "And another boss falls to the Absolute Sword and the Whirlwind Knight!"

"That'll teach those Death Gun jokers to mess with us!" Nick exclaimed.

At long last, the boss gate disappeared, leaving Asuna to be the first to rush into the arena.

"Yuuki! Are you okay?!" Asuna exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Asuna, we're right as rain!" Yuuki giggled. "One Adephagos glutton boy, served up extra crispy!"

This simple sentence stunned pretty much the entire raid party.

"Y-you two... you beat the boss _all by yourself_?!" the raid leader exclaimed.

"It wasn't as bad as we thought it would be," Nick quipped. "It turns out mister glutton really didn't like sword skills. And it mostly used elemental magic attacks against us, so it didn't really have any punishing attacks against two players who put a bunch of power-leveling time into our magic defense skills."

"See, and you thought that field was a waste of time," Yuuki giggled.

"Only because of those little _wimps_ who kept showing up," Nick replied. "It almost wasn't worth it to spend two hours to only gain two points to that one skill."

"Was there... someone else in the room, by any chance?" Kirito asked.

"Oh, you mean that hooded joker?" Yuuki quipped. "Yeah, but Nick took him down easy."

"He said something about his vengeance," Nick noted. "And I've definitely heard the rumors of this group of black-hooded nutjobs stalking ALfheim lately."

Kirito sighed heavily. "Are you thinking what I am about these people?" Kirito asked.

"Yeah," Nick answered. "That this might be the start of Death Gun's resurgence. What I don't get is, it's probably still too soon for Johnny Black to even try something. The case is still fresh in people's minds, and that means the police will most likely be all over him soon."

"Who am I to know how these criminal minds work?" Yuuki proclaimed, shrugging her shoulders. "These people are obviously wacked in the head, wanting to kill people just because your build is outdated. I mean, _seriously_?!"

"How about we talk about this on floor 31?" Nick stated. "The raid party's pouring in, and I don't think you'd wanna run into _that_ jerk again."

"Good idea. Let's get going," Yuuki instantly replied, not wanting to relive that madness again.

 _Later that night, in the real world..._

"So, did you have fun today, Nick?" Yuuki asked as they both returned to reality.

"That was certainly the most interesting boss fight yet," Nick admitted, once again stuffing his Amusphere into the confines of his backpack. "I seriously thought that thing was gonna be a nightmare like the boss on twenty-eight."

"You really can't let that go, can you?" Yuuki laughed.

"You saw how many people were in that raid party," Nick groaned. "They _all_ saw me getting my _ass_ handed to me! Probably the most embarrasing moment of my life."

"At least they shut up when you threatened to stab the raid leader," Yuuki proclaimed.

"Sometimes, you gotta use force to shut someone up," Nick replied. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Yuuki."

"Be safe out there," Yuuki stated. "It's getting kinda late, after all."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Nick responded. "Don't let Kurahashi tease you too much."

"Oh, don't worry, I've got _that_ covered," Yuuki giggled.

Nick turned back around, reaching out to kiss Yuuki, who gladly returned it.

"Good night, Yuuki," Nick stated.

"Good night, Nick," Yuuki replied. "I love you."

"Love you, too, Yuuki," Nick answered before heading out.

It was past nine-thirty by the time Nick got home. "Man, I can't wait to tell mom about the adventures we had today," Nick quipped.

But...

...as Nick gripped the doorknob, something strange washed over him. An odd feeling that something wasn't right.

The house felt off. The house felt... like something had been here.

And then came the odd smell. Nick didn't like it. It smelled too much like...

...like death.

Slowly but surely, Nick opened the door and stepped into his home, wondering what was up with that odd feeling.

He walked through the living room, wondering where his mother was...

...and then he turned the corner, and every muscle in his body failed to respond, almost wanting to deny the sight in front of him.

His mother's body was lying on the floor, in a very awkward position. Her eyes were wide open in shock, the bloody wound on her head making it obvious what had killed her.

But that wasn't what frightened Nick the most.

That would be the symbol painted in his mother's blood on the wall.

Nick recognized it immediately, the symbol of the reformed Death Gun.

And just below it, there was some words, scrawled in red.

 _Everyone connected to him will be eliminated. Death Gun will live on._

By the time he heard the blaring police sirens approaching, Nick finally found feeling in his legs, almost tripping over himself as he scrambled to the front door to let the police officers in.

"One of your neighbors called in," the first officer explained. "Said they heard a loud gunshot."

"I... I wasn't home until five minutes ago," Nick stammered. "I was visiting a friend in the hospital and... and then I come home to _this_..."

"Do you know who might have done this, son?" the second officer asked.

"That symbol's all the proof you need," Nick gasped, pointing with a shaky hand towards the blood-painted Death Gun logo on the wall.

"Damn it, that's the fifth one in the past two weeks," the first officer growled, reaching for his radio to call it in. "Freakin' unbelievable..."

"Is there someone you can stay with, son?" the second officer wondered. "A relative, or something?"

"My friend, at the hospital," Nick answered. "I'll probably be much safer there for the time being."

"That's a good idea, son," the first officer proclaimed. "You go stay with your friend, and we'll process the scene."

Nick didn't need to be told twice, and rushed out of the house and down the streets towards the hospital.

Nick never looked back, tearing through the late-night streets as fast as his feet could carry him. All the while, many seemingly unanswerable questions swam through his mind, but the one that stuck out the most was _why me?! I barely even_ _ **know**_ _Kirito! Is Death Gun really that psychotic that he doesn't care who else he has to kill to get to his target?!_

After what felt like only five minutes (it usually took at least twenty to get from his house to the hospital), Nick found himself back in the lobby of the hospital. Thankfully, no one was in the lobby at the moment, so he wouldn't have to explain why he looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown.

Nick immediately made for the elevator that would take him to Yuuki's floor. Once he had reached his destination, he tore out at breakneck speed, surprising a few doctors along the way, but he didn't notice, his mind already a jumbled, chaotic mess.

By the time he got to Yuuki's room, he didn't care how much noise he was making, quickly shoving his way through the door, only to be greeted with a couple different sights.

Kazuto Kirigaya and Asuna Yuki were in the room as well, seemingly asleep on the nearby chairs.

"Ugh, Kurahashi, it's too late for this," Yuuki groaned, sleepiness evident in her speech, but she quickly snapped awake when she saw Nick. "N-Nick? What are you doing back so late?"

That was when Yuuki noticed that Nick was crying.

"W-what's wrong?" Yuuki asked.

Unable to speak clearly, Nick just sobbed before rushing up and throwing his arms around Yuuki, holding her tightly almost as if his life depended on it.

"Nick, is everything okay?" Yuuki asked again, returning Nick's desperate embrace.

Even now, Nick was still surprised he had been able to respond.

"Death Gun murdered my mother."

That simple sentence made Yuuki gasp in shock, and this seemed to stir Kazuto and Asuna from their slumber as well.

"I... I just got home about ten minutes ago, and then..." Nick gasped, trying and failing to keep himself composed. "...I saw my mom, just lying dead on the floor, and that damn symbol, painted in blood on the wall..."

"Damn it," Kazuto growled. "I should have known..."

"But, what I want to know, is _why?!_ I barely even know you, Kirigaya-san, so what the hell would Death Gun hope to gain by going after _my_ family?!" Nick shouted. "The message he wrote on my wall said that everyone connected to you would be eliminated, but..."

"I wish I could answer that," Kazuto answered. "Johnny Black isn't really all there in the head, I'm sure..."

"It's worse than that," Asuna stated. "You know all these random murders that seem to be connected to Death Gun? Well, Kazuto and I did some research where we could, and..."

Asuna sighed heavily. "Death Gun is targeting SAO survivors."

"That just raises even more questions!" Nick exclaimed. "I wasn't trapped in Sword Art Online, so it does _nothing_ to explain what reason Death Gun would have to go after me!"

Suddenly, Yuuki gasped, remembering something from the other day. Those hooded figures who'd accosted them upon exiting the North Witch's lair.

"Nick, remember those hooded weirdos from the bonus dungeon on twenty-two?" Yuuki asked, almost causing Nick to get whiplash as he snapped to attention.

"Wait, _those_ assholes?!" Nick shouted. "Is _that_ why they know me?!"

Yuuki instantly pulled Nick back into her embrace, knowing exactly where Nick's train of thought was going.

"Don't," Yuuki sighed. "Don't say that it's your fault."

"But..."

" _It's not your fault,"_ Yuuki proclaimed sternly, hoping to get through to Nick. "I have no idea how criminals' minds work. If those hoods were really part of Death Gun, then it probably was nothing more than a coincidence. That's most likely why they were stalking ALfheim, looking for potential targets, connection to Kazuto-san or not."

Yuuki started rubbing Nick's back in an attempt to calm him down. "I don't want you thinking this was your fault, okay? 'Cause if you do, you'll never stop, and I can't stand seeing you beat yourself up."

Nick just nodded, hugging Yuuki tightly.

"Listen, Nick," Yuuki proclaimed. "Death Gun is _not_ going to get away with this. I promise you that. He did something _really_ stupid by making my boyfriend suffer."

Nick just leaned into Yuuki, letting his sorrow out.

"Asuna... will Nick be safe here?" Yuuki asked.

"Definitely," Kirito replied. "The whole building basically goes on lockdown after midnight. It's a security measure they added ever since the first Death Gun case."

"So, yes, your boyfriend will be safest here at the hospital," Asuna continued.

"Oh, good," Yuuki sighed.

"My aunt and uncle aren't in the city right now, so I couldn't stay with them," Nick stated. "And, to be honest, I'd rather stay here with my girlfriend than wander the streets while Death Gun is out and about."

"I promise, we'll keep you two updated on anything we hear," Asuna stated. "We beat Death Gun once, we can do it again."

"That's... all I could really ask for, Asuna-san," Nick replied.

 _Later that night..._

"I'm surprised you're still awake, Yuuki," Nick noted. Asuna and Kazuto had left before the midnight lockdown, promising to keep them in touch with any news connected to Death Gun.

"I'm used to long nights, honestly," Yuuki answered, propping herself up on her bed. "All the time I spent playing on ALfheim often kept me up well into the night."

Yuuki sighed. Nick still looked like a nervous wreck.

"Hey, Nick? Do you want to go to ALfheim?" Yuuki offered. "I know it's late, but maybe it'll help. I'm sure you can find a place to vent if you need to."

Nick looked up, only to realize he didn't have his Amusphere with him.

"There's an Amusphere in the room to the left," Yuuki stated. "You can use that one if you want."

Nick nodded. "Thanks, Yuuki."

"Hey, I wouldn't be doing my job as your girlfriend if I didn't help you out," Yuuki admitted as Nick went to the other room to use the Amusphere.

"Okay, here we go. LINK START!"

 _ALfheim Online, Floor 22, Coral Village..._

Yuuki gazed around the night-soaked village as she waited for Nick to arrive. She knew exactly how it felt for Nick to lose a family member, having lost both of her parents _and_ her sister Aiko.

 _I need to be there for him,_ Yuuki thought. _He needs me more than ever now._

Yuuki tensed up, having sensed something off nearby. She brought up her sword just in time to block another sword coming her way.

"Oh, not you morons again," Yuuki growled. The figure that had attacked her was wearing a black hood that marked him as a member of the new Death Gun.

"So, you still live," the figure proclaimed.

"Yeah, and unless you want to be cut into little shreds of celery, you'd better beat it," Yuuki shot back, shifting into a battle stance. "You jerks already made me mad by killing Nick's mom."

 _And I guess they should count themselves lucky that I can't leave the hospital, otherwise I'd find them and take 'em all down,_ Yuuki thought.

Yuuki swung her sword in a flourish around her, emphasizing her threat. "And you really don't want to make me any angrier than I already am. Now BEAT IT."

The figure just scoffed and readied his sword.

Yuuki just sighed. "Didn't think so."

Yuuki immediately went on the offensive, lashing out with a force she had no idea she was capable of, leaving deep red gashes on the figure as she attacked.

 _These jerks hurt people. They kill people!_ Yuuki thought. _They killed people for no reason! They killed my boyfriend's mother just because they_ _ **wanted to**_ _!_

Yuuki let these thoughts fuel her as she continued to increase the ferocity of her attacks, giving the hooded figure no chance to break out of the furious assault.

For the final blow, Yuuki slashed upwards, then across, cutting the figure into four neatly-cut pieces. Even this wasn't enough for Yuuki, who continued to lash out, slicing and slashing until what little remained of the figure exploded into shards of light, leaving only the Remain Light. Even this was quickly silenced by Yuuki performing an overhand slash that dissipated the Remain Light.

Finally calming down now that the battle was over, Yuuki sighed heavily. _Holy cow, I had no idea I could be that furious!_ Yuuki thought. _Well, let that be a lesson to any more Death Gun jerks who try to accost me._

"You hear me, Death Gun?!" Yuuki shouted in a challenging tone. "Don't mess with me, or you'll feel my wrath!"

Yuuki sheathed her sword just as she saw Nick running up to her.

"Are you all right, Yuuki?" Nick asked. "I heard what sounded like a fight, and I thought..."

"Nah, I'm okay," Yuuki replied. "That Death Gun toadie I just destroyed certainly isn't, though."

"You ran into another one?" Nick gasped.

"Yeah, and I guess I got so _angry_ after thinking about what these jerks have done, and I completely _annihilated_ him," Yuuki replied. "I'm not gonna take their nonsense anymore, Nick. If I find those freaks, they're going _down._ "

Yuuki wiped her forehead off. She'd never vented that much before. It felt good to let her anger out on someone who deserved it.

"Just promise me you'll be careful, Yuuki," Nick replied. "Even though I know how strong you are, I have no idea what kind of underhanded tactics Death Gun will use just to get the drop on us."

"I'll watch your back as long as you watch mine," Yuuki giggled.

"Deal," Nick quipped.

Nick sighed heavily, still wondering how he was going to wrap his head around everything that had happened.

"You need a hug?" Yuuki asked. Nick immediately threw his arms around Yuuki. "Hey, you can cry if you want to. I'm the only other person here. I won't judge you."

Yuuki knew that Nick often tended to hide how he really felt about a tough situation so his friends wouldn't worry about him.

As Nick started to cry, Yuuki only held him tighter.

 _I love you, Nick, and I won't let you face this alone,_ Yuuki thought. _Even if I can only truly help you in this world, I'll do my best in both worlds to give you the support you need. Because that's what a good girlfriend does, right?_

Yuuki smiled and kissed Nick. Inwardly, she knew.

The battle had only just begun.

 _To be continued..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On the next episode...

Nick: Seriously, what am I supposed to say?

Yuuki: Is it okay if I help you out, Nick? I know it's hard, but they'd want you to stay strong.

Nick: I know, but that doesn't make it any harder.

Yuuki: Nick, I promise you, we'll take Death Gun down if it's the last thing I do.

Nick: Yuuki, that really means a lot to me.

Yuuki: We'll get through this! Together, right?

Nick: Yeah. Together.

Yuuki: Here's hoping Death Gun decides to be silent for a while after that guy got destroyed.

Nick: I don't know, I'm starting to think we might have just made him angrier. Next time on _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario_ , "Through the Curtains of Grief"!

Yuuki: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	4. Through the Curtains of Grief

"Incoming, Yuuki!" Nick shouted, drawing his sword and slashing at the monster's weapon that had been on a course to impale Yuuki.

"Thanks for the save, Nick!" Yuuki giggled before flying upwards and aiming her sword. "Now eat THIS!"

Yuuki dove downwards until she planted her sword in the monster's head. The Great Demon Tree gurgled twice before falling over and exploding into particles of light.

"Sorry, tree boy, but you'll have to wake up just a little earlier than _that_ to pull one over on the Absolute Sword!" Yuuki proclaimed.

Nick sheathed his sword, smiling at how easily Yuuki had been able to clean up the monsters around this field area.

"Well, that was... something," Yuuki quipped. "I _definitely_ wasn't expecting that tree thing to come to life and try to eat us!"

"And we're on our guard now, at least," Nick replied. "This place isn't called the Animated Forest for nothing, you know."

Yuuki looked up at Nick, noticing that while he seemed excited about the hunt through this strange forest, his eyes still held a deep sadness to them.

It had been five days since Nick's mother had been murdered by the reformed Death Gun, and Yuuki would be lying if she said she didn't notice how frazzled Nick had looked lately. He was staying at the hospital for the time being, both so he could be close to Yuuki, and because it was the safest place for him to be, what with Death Gun possibly prowling the streets at night.

"What's up, Yuuki?" Nick asked.

"When's the funeral?" Yuuki replied. "I know that's what you're thinking about."

"It's tomorrow," Nick replied. "This is always the part I dread about this whole messed-up process, because it's probably the last time I'm _ever_ going to see mom."

Yuuki thought for a few seconds. "You want me to come with you?"

Nick was surprised at that request. "But... I thought you couldn't leave the hospital?"

Yuuki just smiled. "I think I know someone who can help."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Never give up on your dreams, especially if you consider them to be worth fighting for.)

The Blue Time Ranger presents...  
 _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario  
_ Story Created: September 14th, 2015  
Today's Episode: September 21st, 2015  
Rated: T for Teen

 **Summary:** Nick Kelly and Yuuki Konno have had a rather odd life. With Yuuki constantly in the hospital, Nick has taken it upon himself to care for her, knowing that he may not have much time left with his best friend. However, a series of strange events begin to plague them. Between ALfheim Online where Nick and Yuuki are being stalked by a strange guild, and the real world where rumors are spreading about the return of Death Gun, Nick and Yuuki will have to protect each other with their lives if they hope to survive...

 **On Today's Episode:** After the funeral, Nick and Yuuki accept their determination to take Death Gun down at any cost. Though there seems to be no clear pattern to Death Gun's madness, a clue may come during a trip through the floor 31 labyrinth. When a member of Death Gun attempts to eliminate the raid party, he shouts something that drives Nick into a frenzied rage...

 **Timeline Placement** : Though a slight AU to accomodate my OC, this story takes place before the end of the Mother's Rosario arc (Volume 7 of the novels and most of the second half of anime season 2), basically inbetween the time when Asuna reconciled with her mother and... *sniff* no spoilers. *sob* (even though you probably know already).

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own anything related to Sword Art Online. That's Reki Kawahara, not me. Anything I don't own, I am just borrowing. The character of Nick Kelly belongs to me, and he many only be used in your stuff with my permission. (I'll probably always say yes, as long as you don't make him look bad.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 4: Through the Curtains of Grief

"You want to borrow my Bidirectional Communication Probe?" Asuna asked. She and Kazuto were visiting the hospital again to see how Yuuki was doing.

"Yuuki wants to come with me to my mom's funeral tomorrow, and I wondered how she could do that, if she's not allowed to leave the hospital," Nick explained. "She explained that you used that probe to take her to school a while ago."

"Oh, of course!" Asuna laughed. "I just have to get it from Kazuto. He's the one who put it together."

Asuna noticed how sad Nick got when he mentioned the funeral, and how he seemingly felt better when he said that Yuuki had wanted to accompany him.

"You really love Yuuki, don't you, Nick?" Asuna stated.

"Yeah, yeah I do," Nick admitted. "We spent so much time together over these past two years, just going on adventures and enjoying the time she has left. I remember the times when she wouldn't shut up about you..."

"Well, Yuuki taught me a lesson that I really needed," Asuna replied. "Sometimes, you have to fight to get your point across."

"Yeah, Yuuki taught me that, too," Nick responded. "When I realized I was in love with her, I was honestly a little worried, considering she may not have much time left. But mom told me to go for it, to tell her how I felt while I had the chance, so I wouldn't spend the rest of my life wondering what could have been."

Asuna smiled brightly. "Take good care of her, Nick, okay?"

"You know I will," Nick replied.

 _The next day..._

Nick was still surprised at the turnout. Many of Nick's relatives were still living far away from Japan (he and his family had originally lived in North America before they'd moved to Japan about five years ago), but most of them had been able to make it.

" _You have a really nice family, Nick,"_ Yuuki stated. The Bidirectional Communication Probe was attached to Nick's shoulder so Yuuki could see everything he could.

"Most of my relatives live in America," Nick replied. "I lived there for most of my life before I came to Japan."

" _Hey, if you can't think of anything to say, I can help,"_ Yuuki offered. She knew Nick was having a hard time thinking of something to say when it was his turn to speak.

"I might just do that," Nick answered. "I'm bad at speaking to crowds in these situations. When grandma died, I could barely even speak."

" _I felt the same way when my mother died,"_ Yuuki stated.

When it was Nick's turn to speak, he slowly walked to his mother's casket, making sure to get one last good look as his mother, knowing it would be the last time he saw her.

"Hello, everyone," Nick proclaimed. "Thank you all for coming. Now, most of you know that I'm not really good with words when I'm under a lot of stress."

Nick gestured to the Bidirectional Communication Probe on his shoulder. "But a friend of mine, who's in the hospital at the moment, would like to say something. You're on, Yuuki."

" _Thanks,"_ Yuuki replied. _"Now, I didn't know Kelly-san for very long, but I really liked what I did know about her. She was a firm, but fair woman, who always wanted her son to be the best he could be. She was very supportive of Nick coming to visit me while I'm stuck in the hospital, and she said so without even batting an eye."_

Nick looked out at the crowd as Yuuki continued to speak. _"I'm no stranger to losing family, so I know exactly how Nick feels right now. We've all lost a wonderful woman, but she wouldn't want us to ruminate on her death. She'd want us to celebrate her life, the way she lived. So her memory will stay forever etched in our hearts."_

Nick had to dry a few tears. Yuuki really knew just what to say. _"Even though she was taken from us in the prime of her life by a certifiable madman, we shouldn't let this stop us from remembering her as the woman she aspired to be: a caring mother, a devoted husband, and an inspiration to us all. Thanks, everyone."_

"Thanks, Yuuki," Nick stated.

" _Anytime,"_ Yuuki replied.

Once the service was over, Nick hastily excused himself from the main room.

" _Are you okay, Nick?"_ Yuuki asked.

"I... I don't know anymore, Yuuki," Nick sighed. "I don't know why this had to happen... I mean, it's bad enough that I lost my dad last year, and now my _mom's_ dead, too."

" _I wish I could explain,"_ Yuuki replied. _"But we're going to get Death Gun good for this."_

Nick clenched his fist tightly at the mere mention of Death Gun.

" _I know how you feel, Nick,"_ Yuuki stated. _"I know mom taught me to always look for the good in everyone, I'm seriously thinking that there's no good left in those jerks. We need to take them down."_

"Exactly what I was thinking," Nick growled. "They've already crossed the line."

Nick laid a hand on top of the probe, as if he was trying to hold Yuuki's hand.

" _I love you, Nick,"_ Yuuki stated.

"I love you, too, Yuuki," Nick replied, letting a few tears fall.

What no one at the funeral home knew, was that a member of Death Gun was hiding in a far-off alley, watching the funeral.

"That boy could be a real thorn in our side," the figure proclaimed. "I really should ask the boss how we're going to deal with them."

 _Later that day, the floor 31 labyrinth..._

"I really don't like this place," Yuuki stammered. Somehow, the floor thirty-one labyrinth was even creepier than the one on floor thirty. "I'm freaking out that those bat things on the wall might come to life and attack me... I've never been all that fond of bats..."

"Hey, I think they're cute," Asuna giggled. She and Kirito had decided to join the raid party in order to scout out any possible Death Gun members.

"You would say that," Kirito sighed. "Any sign of them, Yui?"

"I don't sense any suspicious players, daddy," Yui answered. "But I'll keep looking."

As the raid party continued through the labyrinth, one of the players, deciding that now was the time to proceed, waved his hand once, causing most of the raid team to disappear in a dark flash.

"W-what the heck?!" Yuuki exclaimed.

"They were just illusions?!" Kirito exclaimed, knowing that whoever had controlled the illusions must have been a Spriggan.

The remaining ten figures shifted their appearances to a black hood, symbolic of Death Gun.

"How easily you fell into our trap," the first figure proclaimed.

"Then... there _was_ no raid party?!" Asuna gasped.

"We've been double-crossed!" Yuuki shouted.

"How observant," the leader proclaimed. "Not that there was any hope for you anyway. We are here for our revenge, Kirito."

"Then you must be Johnny Black," Kirito growled, drawing Dark Repulsor and Excalibur.

"The one and only," Johnny responded. "I've waited for this moment for a very long time, Black Swordsman. You ruined our plans six months ago, and we have now come for our revenge."

"Don't bet on it," Asuna shot back, drawing her rapier.

"Yeah, we've got four of the best players in ALfheim!" Yuuki proclaimed. "You and your mooks don't stand a chance!"

Johnny drew a very familiar weapon, the Estoc that Red-Eyed XaXa had used in Gun Gale Online.

"Where did you get that?!" Kirito shouted.

"Simple how a little hacking of the system can grant wonders," Johnny replied. "Kirito, you have no idea how much you hurt me, do you?"

"Enlighten me," Kirito growled, readying his swords.

"Well, then. After Kyouji and Shouichi were arrested, I was forced on the run, unable to show my face in the city without facing retribution. But I still felt the need to kill again. And, once I killed someone in the real world, I finally felt the joy of killing. I knew then that this was my life's calling," Johnny proclaimed.

"You're sick," Nick shot back. "I swear, Johnny, on my mother's memory, we _will_ take you _and_ your posse down!"

"Oh, is that fact?" Johnny taunted. "I'd like to see you lot try. Anyways, where was I? Oh, yes. It was so fun to pull the trigger and watch the man and his car go flying out of control, right into the guardrail."

Nick unsheathed his sword loudly at that, a chill running through his body. "I'm sorry, _what was that_?" Nick growled.

"Oh, the man I killed. I didn't really pick and choose who to kill back then, but he did nicely. One shot the back of his neck was all it took to send him colliding with that semi. It was marvelous to watch."

Nick _really_ didn't like where this was going. That description sounded eerily similar to what had happened to...

"They ruled it a mere accident," Nick proclaimed, his voice low and hateful. "But it wasn't, _was it?_ "

"You catch on quick, don't you, boy?" Johnny laughed. "Yes, the local news ruled his death an accident, and they would never know that it was the signal, the beginning of Death Gun's re-emergence, until it was too late."

Nick's hands began to shake, grasping Liberty Bell as if his life depended on it. His breathing became quick and shallow.

"Oh, did I touch a nerve, boy?" Johnny proclaimed, knowing exactly how to egg him on. "Did you know the victim, by any chance? An older friend, maybe?"

Nick swung his sword so hard that an orange trail of light ripped through the air where he'd slashed.

"That man... the man you killed..."

Nick brought Liberty Bell behind him, ready to charge.

"THAT WAS MY FATHER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Nick's words echoed throughout the labyrinth as he roared in pure rage and charged straight for Johnny at blinding speeds.

Not expecting the attack, Johnny couldn't dodge in time as Nick ripped forward with Liberty Bell, an orange light trailing behind the weapon's blade as it cut through Johnny's midsection.

Nick didn't hesitate in attacking again, leaving a wide gash on Johnny's chest.

"You bastards tried to ruin my life!" Nick screamed, slicing through the air and Johnny's avatar like wildfire. "You killed my parents, my family, FOR WHAT?! For your own sick pleasures?!"

"Stop him!" one of the other figures proclaimed, only to be stopped as Kirito, Asuna, and Yuuki placed themselves in front of the horde.

"You're not going anywhere, you monsters," Asuna proclaimed, literally shaking with rage.

"Let's take 'em out!" Yuuki shouted.

Kirito, Asuna, and Yuuki proceeded to fight the hooded figures while Nick continued to unleash his rage against Johnny Black.

"You sons of bitches can't even call yourselves human beings anymore!" Nick screamed, tears falling from his eyes as he continued to attack, not letting up for even a second. "You lost the right when you started killing people just because it satisfied your goddamn demented bloodlust!"

"It's not something you could understand," Johnny replied, unable to find an opening to counter and forced to watch his health bar dwindling.

"No, I can't! Because I actually _care_ about human life, you monster!" Nick shot back, pushing Johnny back before unleashing an Ars Arcanum, the multiple furious strikes swiftly depleting Johnny's health.

"Human life means nothing to me," Johnny cackled, surprisingly unfazed that he was getting destroyed.

"Yeah, I can see that!" Nick shouted, landing the final blow of Ars Arcanum and driving Johnny to his knees. Nick immediately positioned the blade of Liberty Bell mere inches from Johnny's neck. "Now, how do you plead, you son of a bitch?!"

"I vote for a stay of execution," Johnny taunted, quickly reaching for his Estoc and swinging before Nick could react, knocking Liberty Bell away from him.

"Oh, jeez! Nick, hold on!" Yuuki exclaimed, breaking off from her battle to rush over and assist Nick.

"Now DIE!" Johnny exclaimed, ready to stab Nick in the head, only to keel over in pain as Yuuki slashed his back.

Kirito immediately joined the fight, brandishing both blades as he unleashed one of his newest Sword Skills, Nebularaid Empress, an impressive flurry of spinning sword slashes.

Asuna jumped in as well, shouting a loud battle cry as she assaulted Johnny with her own Original Sword Skill, Starry Tear.

For the finisher, Yuuki reared back as Nick slashed Johnny one more time to force him back to his knees, giving Yuuki the needed time to finish off Johnny's remaining health with a Mother's Rosario.

When the furious assault had finally subsided, Johnny fell to his knees, uncountable holes carved through his avatar and making him look rather like swiss cheese.

"Go ahead, strike me down if you wish," Johnny wheezed. "But we will rise, no matter what you do."

Nick screamed so loudly he could have shattered the mirrors paneling the walls before slicing Johnny's avatar in half with a final overhead chop, causing Johnny's avatar to explode into shards of light.

"Oh, shit, he just defeated Johnny," one of the five remaining hooded players gasped.

"I think we officially need to run," another figure stammered, only to freeze dead in his tracks when Nick snapped his attention to them.

"You're not going anywhere!" Nick screamed, zipping over to the hooded players and cutting through them mercilessly, depleting their health in mere seconds.

By the time Nick was finished, all five hooded players exploded into particles of light, and Nick simply sheathed his sword before falling unconscious from exerting so much pressure.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Back in reality, a masked figure kept to prowling the late-night streets, still highly irritated that he'd been defeated by a mere boy.

"This is unacceptable," Johnny Black growled. "If only I knew where he was now, I could take him out..."

"Boss!" one of Johnny's subordinates proclaimed, rushing up to him. He was clad in a burlap sack-like robe, to disguise his identity to everyone who might still be awake at this time of night. "Is everything okay?"

"For now," Johnny replied. "I won't let this stop me. I'll find that boy sooner or later, and he _will_ feel my wrath when I do."

"Speaking of which, boss, I found some information that you may find interesting," the hooded figure stated, handing Johnny the printouts he'd made. One of them showed what appeared to be the Floating Castle of New Aincrad...

...only with something _else_ hanging underneath the castle.

"The... Hollow Area?" Johnny queried.

"I just found out about it," the hooded figure proclaimed. "I have no idea if it's a glitched-out area, something that intended to be brought to SAO, or what, but it's coming in the next update."

As Johnny read through the apparently-leaked information pertaining to the Hollow Area, he smiled wickedly. The game had just gotten interesting.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Hey, I think he's waking up..."

Nick slowly opened his eyes, wondering where he was. This definitely wasn't the labyrinth on thirty-one.

"Oh, thank goodness you're all right," Asuna sighed in relief, and now Nick could clearly make out the forest house that Kirito and Asuna owned, which meant they must be on floor twenty-two.

"Ugh... what happened? Why does my head hurt so badly?" Nick wondered as he sat up, Yuuki holding him for support.

"You could tell us," Yuuki replied. "You just... I don't know, _exploded_ and _destroyed_ everyone that was left from that Death Gun collection."

"I just... I can't believe I lost myself to my rage..." Nick groaned. "What he said just _infuriated_ me. I wanted to pay him back tenfold for the pain he caused me, even if this is just a virtual world..."

"You can definitely be scary when you get angry," Asuna giggled.

"And now we know not to get on your bad side," Kirito laughed.

"Are you going to be okay, Nick?" Yuuki asked, reaching out to give Nick a hug.

"Not until Death Gun goes down for good," Nick growled. "Mom and dad can't ever rest in peace as long as Johnny Black and his goons are prowling the streets. I don't care how long it takes, I don't care what I have to do, but I promise, I _will_ see Johnny Black _dead_ for what he's done."

"Well, whatever happens, just know that I've got your back every step of the way," Yuuki proclaimed. "I'm not gonna let you face this alone."

"We've all got your back, every one of us," Asuna proclaimed, referring to the rest of her and Kirito's friends from SAO. "Those monsters _seriously_ crossed the line this time."

"I'll contact Kikouka-san when we go back to the real world," Kirito stated. "Maybe he might be able to help us track down Johnny."

All Nick could do was smile and nod.

Later that night, Yuuki was sitting outside the forest house, watching the stars of New Aincrad.

 _I sincerely hope Nick's doing all right,_ Yuuki thought. _He really needs me now. After what Johnny said... urgh, I've never actually hated anyone before, but this guy takes the cake!_

"I didn't know you were still up, Yuuki," Nick stated as he walked over to where Yuuki was sitting.

"I just like watching the stars from out here," Yuuki admitted. "It gives me time to think about stuff."

"Anything particular you're thinking about?" Nick wondered.

"Oh, just how much I freakin' _hate_ this Johnny Black character," Yuuki quipped. "Yeah, I know, I was taught to look for the good in everyone, but there's seriously not a single redeemable thing about this jerk! It just... oof, I've never felt this _angry_ before! I just wanna _murder_ that joker!"

"You're not the only one, Yuuki," Nick replied, sitting down next to Yuuki. "I really wish I knew where he's hiding out in real life so I can find him and knock _him_ down a few pegs."

"We may as well let Kirito-san and the authorities handle the situation for now," Yuuki answered. "The police don't really have any leads on him right now."

"Here's hoping we can get some leads soon, because I'm sick of just resting on my laurels," Nick replied.

"Yeah, yeah, mister man of action," Yuuki giggled.

Even in his stressed state, Nick couldn't help but chuckle at Yuuki's joke.

"Yuuki?" Nick asked. "When is this nightmare going to end? I was so sure we'd seen the last of Death Gun, but now they're back, and even worse than ever... I mean, for god's sake, they nearly broke my spirit..."

"But they didn't," Yuuki replied, looping her arms around Nick. "And that makes all the difference. Seriously, Nick, did you forget your own motto? 'Suffer not from defeat, for it only makes you stronger in the end'. Death Gun didn't completely break you, and you're still here, still fighting the good fight. That should be all the reason you need to keep on going and drive that point straight through Death Gun's black heart!"

Nick had to smile at that. "Never knew you were such a good therapist, Yuuki."

"Hey, I'm no Yui, but I try," Yuuki laughed. "Really, Nick, you're still here, and that's all you should ever need. We'll fight these morons to the bitter end, no matter what it takes."

Nick reached out to hold Yuuki's hand. "You really are the best girlfriend I could have asked for, you know that?"

Yuuki giggled. "I'd say it was fate, but I know you don't believe in fate, mister 'my destiny is my own'."

"Good point," Nick laughed. "Now how about we just watch the stars for a while and not think about Death Gun?"

"Exactly what I was thinking," Yuuki replied, and the pair laid back and watched the twinkling stars, just to take their minds off their troubles.

Nick almost thought he was seeing things, but he could have sworn he'd seen a transparent image of his mother and father in the stars, watching him from heaven.

 _I can't get my mind off this tragedy, no matter what I do,_ Nick thought. _But Yuuki's right. You may have hurt me, Death Gun, but you've only made me stronger. And I swear, before this year ends, I_ _ **will**_ _utterly_ _ **destroy**_ _you, Johnny Black, and any of your followers._

Nick leaned over and kissed a now-sleeping Yuuki on the cheek. _I swear it, Death Gun. You're going down, for_ _ **good**_ _._

 _To be continued..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On the next episode...

Yuuki: Hey, what the heck is that thing?

Nick: I was wondering that myself. What's that strange sphere under Aincrad?

Asuna: Kirito, is something the matter?

Kirito: I wish I knew. I just got a strange chill from looking at this oddity.

Yuuki: From what I can gather, it came with the recent update and it's called "The Hollow Area". Sounds like a bonus dungeon to me!

Nick: Still, I have my suspicions. This was the only thing that the update log _didn't_ mention.

Yuuki: Maybe they wanted to keep it a surprise?

Nick: I don't know. I'm gonna go check it out, because I'm hearing strange things about this place. Next time on _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario_ , "A Hollow Feeling"!

Yuuki: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	5. A Hollow Feeling

"Ah, it's a gorgeous day!" Yuuki exclaimed as she and Nick walked through the usually-crowded streets of Dahngrest, still ruminating on what to do today. Nick was excited for some of the new quests that the recent game update had brought.

 _Whoever owns the right to ALfheim is sure bringing a lot of game updates lately,_ Nick thought. _Eh, as long as we have more stuff to do, I won't complain._

"Well, this place is crowded as always," Yuuki quipped.

"There's a lot of guilds here, too," Nick noted. "They don't call Dahngrest the 'Den of Guilds' for nothing."

"Good point," Yuuki giggled.

As Nick and Yuuki reached the central square, Yuuki noticed someone very familiar ahead.

"Hey, is that..." Nick wondered.

"Asuna!" Yuuki squealed, rushing up to greet her best friend with a big hug as she always did.

Nick just stood there thinking. Something was off about this whole situation.

First off, the last time Nick had seen Asuna, she was off with Kirito on a very time-consuming quest on floor twenty-five. And one of Asuna's friends, a Leprechaun blacksmith named Lisbeth, had said they probably wouldn't be out for a long time, and that was ten minutes before Nick and Yuuki had entered Dahngrest.

Second, the Asuna over here was standing very stiffly and rigid, not like Asuna's relaxed pose.

Third, Nick felt a strange power emanating from Asuna, one he wasn't familiar with.

"Asuna?" Yuuki asked when Asuna didn't turn around right away. "Is something wrong?"

'Asuna' spun around quickly, revealing a pair of piercing red eyes that definitely didn't belong to Asuna.

"W-what the heck?!" Yuuki shouted as 'Asuna' brandished her rapier and attacked.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Never give up on your dreams, especially if you consider them to be worth fighting for.)

The Blue Time Ranger presents...  
 _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario  
_ Story Created: September 14th, 2015  
Today's Episode: September 23rd, 2015  
Rated: T for Teen

 **Summary:** Nick Kelly and Yuuki Konno have had a rather odd life. With Yuuki constantly in the hospital, Nick has taken it upon himself to care for her, knowing that he may not have much time left with his best friend. However, a series of strange events begin to plague them. Between ALfheim Online where Nick and Yuuki are being stalked by a strange guild, and the real world where rumors are spreading about the return of Death Gun, Nick and Yuuki will have to protect each other with their lives if they hope to survive...

 **On Today's Episode:** With the most recent game update, Aincrad has seemingly gained a new bonus dungeon called the "Hollow Area". However, not everything is as it seems, as strange doppelgangers of players begin to emerge from the Hollow Area and wreak havoc on ALfheim. Believing that the purpose of the Hollow Area may have been flipped on its head due to a game glitch, Kirito brings together his friends to investigate the Hollow Area before ALfheim is thrown into chaos...

 **Timeline Placement** : Though a slight AU to accomodate my OC, this story takes place before the end of the Mother's Rosario arc (Volume 7 of the novels and most of the second half of anime season 2), basically inbetween the time when Asuna reconciled with her mother and... *sniff* no spoilers. *sob* (even though you probably know already).

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own anything related to Sword Art Online. That's Reki Kawahara, not me. Anything I don't own, I am just borrowing. The character of Nick Kelly belongs to me, and he many only be used in your stuff with my permission. (I'll probably always say yes, as long as you don't make him look bad.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 5: A Hollow Feeling

Yuuki danced around the square, doing her best to avoid the swift attacks flying from 'Asuna', all the while wondering what had happened to her best friend.

Naturally, this strange battle was beginning to draw a crowd, wondering what was going down.

Nick took a good look at the doppelganger, trying to get a bead on its information. Eventually, he spotted 'Asuna's' info window.

It read _Hollow Asuna_.

That was all the information Nick needed to draw Liberty Bell and rush into the fray.

Yuuki continued to duck and weave through the whirlwind of rapier stabs, only to trip on a loose stone in the courtyard that she hadn't seen due to being preoccupied.

This gave Hollow Asuna the perfect vantage to stab Yuuki in the chest, only for Nick to dash in and slash upwards with Liberty Bell, knocking the rapier away and sending Hollow Asuna into a tumble. Nick didn't waste a single second in unleashing an Ars Arcanum, though it barely seemed to do any damage.

"Nick, what the heck's going on?!" Yuuki exclaimed as Nick helped her to her feet. "Why is Asuna trying to kill us?!"

"That's not Asuna!" Nick shouted. "I don't know _what_ it is, but that's not the Asuna we know."

Sure enough, Hollow Asuna picked herself up and changed appearance, her hair becoming a dark, almost cancerous shade of purple and her clothes becoming a black version of Asuna's KoB outfit.

"Okay, game on," Nick proclaimed, activating his wings and taking flight.

Hollow Asuna did the same, retrieving her rapier and taking to the sky right behind Nick.

Nick inwardly decided on a game plan, knowing that if this doppelganger was anything like the genuine article, she'd be able to strike extremely quickly, so Nick realized he had to end the battle just as quickly.

Nick weaved around an overhead slash before striking back with a Vorpal Square, actually doing noticeable damage this time.

"Hey, I think we're getting somewhere," Nick quipped, readying his next attack.

But that moment of distraction had cost him.

Hollow Asuna shouted loudly before zipping forward and nailing Nick with a Flashing Penetrator while he was distracted, sending Nick crashing into the side of a nearby guild building.

"Ouch..." Nick groaned. Checking his health, Nick was surprised to see that almost half of his health had been drained by that one attack.

"All right, faker, you're going to wish you hadn't done that!" Yuuki shouted, activating her own wings and taking flight. Yuuki stared down Hollow Asuna with a noticeable fury in her eyes.

"How DARE you mock my best friend's image!" Yuuki growled. "Not to mention harming my boyfriend like that!"

Deciding to just fight instead of mince words, Yuuki charged, attempting to throw Hollow Asuna off guard so she could deliver a fatal blow.

Though Hollow Asuna was definitely extremely fast, Yuuki knew she was faster, eventually thrusting out to cut Hollow Asuna's cheek.

Seeing her chance, Yuuki unleashed a Mother's Rosario, easily dropping Hollow Asuna's health bar to its limits.

"Ack, you're still not dead?!" Yuuki growled.

"Don't worry, Yuuki," Nick exclaimed, flying back into the fray. "This one's all mine."

Hollow Asuna stabbed outwards, but Nick raised Dreamcloud to deflect the attack, then drew Liberty Bell and performed five underhanded vertical spinning slashes, each one knocking Hollow Asuna further into the air.

Nick then flew above Hollow Asuna and slashed downwards, sending her crashing to the ground. For the finale, Nick chanted a spell to charge Liberty Bell's blade with electricity, and swung it outwards, causing six jagged lightning bolts to explode from the blade and converge on Hollow Asuna's body, driving her back into the ground and depleting her remaining health.

Hollow Asuna futilely reached out before exploding into purple light shards.

"YES!" Yuuki exclaimed, "Go chew on that, lady!"

"And that's that," Nick quipped. He felt proud for finally mastering his new Original Sword Skill, Ragnarok Orbit.

"Okay, now to the question I'm sure is on everybody's minds, WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Who's trying to mess with us this time?!"

"I'm not sure this would be Death Gun's work," Nick replied. "It seems a little too intricate for them, but then again, I don't claim to know how their minds work..."

"Um, excuse me?" a Cait Sith archer asked. "Did you just fight a Hollow character?"

"Wait, you know about that thing?!" Yuuki gasped.

"I fought my own Hollow self earlier today," the Cait Sith explained. "I have no idea where it came from, but a lot of people are suspecting it might have something to do with the new bonus dungeon that got added in the update."

"There's another bonus dungeon?!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Do the game devs know that this new bonus dungeon is spitting out dark doppelgangers that want to murder people?!"

"Well, maybe there was a glitch in the area or something," the Cait Sith wondered.

"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder by the second," Nick quipped. "Maybe Kirito would know something."

"But who knows how long he'll be stuck in that quest?" Yuuki replied.

"Excuse me, did you mention Kirito?"

Nick turned around and saw another Cait Sith with light blue hair walk up to him. "Um, I believe I did. You know him?"

"Yeah. My name's Sinon," the Cait Sith answered.

Nick immediately recognized her once Sinon had mentioned her name. Nick knew that she was the best gunner in Gun Gale Online and the co-winner of the third Bullet of Bullets Tournament.

"We need his expertise, basically," Nick replied. "We just fought a strange doppelganger of Asuna and someone here theorized it may be connected to a new bonus dungeon."

"You mean the Hollow Area?" Sinon answered. "People have been suspicious of that place ever since it came into the game. From what I hear, it's supposed to be an alternate dimension where you have to fight shadow versions of yourself, but I don't think the Hollows were supposed to escape from there and go into ALfheim or Aincrad."

Yuuki thought for a few seconds. "You think Death Gun might have fudged things up a bit?"

Sinon gasped loudly at this. Apparently, she wasn't as in the loop as Kirito or Asuna at the moment. "Wait, Death Gun's back?!"

"The accomplice who got away just recently resurfaced," Nick explained. "Apparently, he's still pissed that Kirito took Death Gun down, so he's starting his madness up again. Remember that raid party for the floor 31 labyrinth? It was all a trap by Death Gun, but we took 'em down rather handily."

"You mean _you_ took 'em down," Yuuki quipped. "I just fought the lowly mooks while you _obliterated_ Johnny Black!"

"So, yeah," Nick replied. "When we finished off that Hollow clone of Asuna, we immediately thought Death Gun might be behind all of this."

"Sounds like we've got a lot of trouble on our hands," Sinon responded. "You think we should investigate?"

"Good idea to me," Yuuki stated. "Who knows how much longer it's going to be before more Hollows start popping up and wrecking everything in sight?"

"So, Sinon, how about you go find Kirito and Asuna," Nick stated. "When you see them, tell 'em to meet Yuuki and me at the forest house. We'll discuss what to do there."

Sinon nodded, rushing off.

"Well, Nick, looks like we're gonna save ALfheim," Yuuki giggled.

"One thing still bothers me," Nick replied. "From what I read in the update log, the Hollow Area wasn't even mentioned. Makes me wonder what really happened."

"Maybe they just wanted to surprise the players?" Yuuki wondered. "But if that's true, why did it glitch up and let the Hollows out?"

"Here's hoping we'll find out soon," Nick proclaimed.

 _Later, the Forest House, Coral Village..._

"Okay, so here's the skinny, people," Nick proclaimed. Kirito, Asuna, and all of their friends were gathered in the Forest House to discuss what to do about the Hollow Area. "A few hours ago, Yuuki and I were walking around Dahngrest on floor thirty when we were ambushed by a strange clone of Asuna. When we took it down, someone said that it might have been connected to the 'Hollow Area', a new bonus dungeon underneath Aincrad that came with the recent game update."

"Problem is, these 'Hollows', as they're called, apparently aren't supposed to wander out of the Hollow Area," Yuuki continued. "So, Nick and I came to two possibilities: one, the Hollow Area might have been glitched, or two, someone's pulling the strings from inside the Hollow Area."

"I'm more inclined to believe the second possibility, especially considering what I'm sure you all know by now, that Death Gun's resurging in both worlds," Nick stated. "After what they've done, I wouldn't be surprised if they're behind this, too."

"Which brings us to why we called you all here," Yuuki proclaimed. "I'm suggesting that we all party up and investigate the Hollow Area. At the very least, we may be able to shut down another Death Gun operation if they're behind it."

"It all sounds so whacked when you think about it," Klein noted. "But hey, I'm in if you guys are."

"We have to stop those monsters!" Silica proclaimed, Pina squealing in agreement. "If we let them be, who knows what else they'll do?"

"Hey, I helped take Death Gun down before," Sinon stated. "I'll gladly do it again."

"Looks like we're all in," Leafa proclaimed.

"Okay, here's the plan, then," Kirito stated, smiling at the confident expressions of his companions. "Lisbeth is gonna upgrade all our weapons before we head out, because I'm sure we're going to need it. While she does that, we'll all go stock up on whatever items we need, and once we're all ready for action, we'll go down to the Town of Beginnings to access the Hollow Area, since it's the closest entryway."

"Wait, there's more than one way into that shadowy nuthouse?!" Lisbeth shouted.

"It's probably connected to many different floors, considering how quickly the Hollows that have been reported were able to get around," Asuna replied.

"We need to act fast either way," Nick stated. "Because I'm pretty sure that it's only a manner of time before more Hollows get out and start causing chaos."

"So, let's get to it, everybody!" Yuuki exclaimed, hugging Nick tightly.

Klein seemed absolutely shocked by this. "Oh, no way. You two are..."

"Yep!" Yuuki giggled.

"You... and the strongest player in the game?!" Klein proclaimed before sighing in defeat. "Oh, man, some guys have all the luck..."

"Well, I've known her for a lot longer, Klein," Nick teased. "Maybe you just need to try harder."

That sent everyone in the room into a laughing fit.

"Oh, sure, pick on the samurai!" Klein exclaimed.

 _Later, at the Town of Beginnings..._

"All right, is everyone ready to go?" Kirito proclaimed. The group had almost immediately found an entrance to the Hollow Area, in the form of a swirling black portal right behind the town's resurrection plinth.

"We're ready if you are, Kirito," Nick replied, admiring his new sword. Lisbeth had done an amazing job, her upgrade transforming his sword from the Liberty Bell into the Freedom Striker, complete with elemental attributes.

"All right. Let's do this," Asuna stated, and the group walked into the portal one by one, feeling a strange sense of suffocation, almost as if the Hollow Area itself was trying to suppress them.

Once on the other side, the group took a second to marvel at the Hollow Area. It appeared to be a spiraling vortex of purple light, mixed with jet-black darkness and no clear indicator of what was even traversable. It was the very definition of chaotic.

"Well, _this_ is one hell of a bonus dungeon," Klein noted. "Anyone know which way we're supposed to go in this nuthouse?!"

Yui floated off of Kirito's head and began to scan the surrounding area. After a few seconds, she pointed to the northwest.

And so, the group continued to move as a unit, sticking together to avoid any possible ambushes.

But even after what felt like hours (it had only been twenty minutes; the Hollow Area seemed to be messing with their perception of time), nothing much had happened, leaving Yuuki a little concerned.

"Guys, we haven't encountered a single enemy on this whole trip," Yuuki noted. "And that worries me."

"You think they may be trying to ambush us?!" Silica squeaked.

"If that was their plan, they would have jumped us already," Sinon replied, keeping her bow ready just in case a monster tried anything.

"This is the weirdest bonus dungeon ever," Yuuki groaned.

Nick would have responded had he not noticed something just ahead.

It was another swirling portal of darkness, much like the one they'd used to enter the Hollow Area.

"Everyone, get ready," Nick proclaimed, drawing Freedom Striker and readying himself for a fight.

Something began to emerge from the portal, taking slow, striding steps as it did so.

Sinon was the first to clutch her weapon tightly, as out of the portal stepped a Hollow clone of Sinon, the only noticeable difference being the brown hair, the lack of Cait Sith ears, and of course, the evil-looking red eyes.

"This is so weird," Leafa quipped.

 **("Startear" by Luna Haruna plays)**

"This one's _mine_ ," Sinon proclaimed, splitting from the group and dashing around, aiming an arrow for Hollow Sinon.

Surprisingly, Hollow Sinon immediately fired off an arrow of her own, canceling out Sinon's attack.

"Okay, so this one's going to be a bit trickier," Sinon noted.

"Mind if I tag in?" Nick replied, bringing Freedom Striker into a fighting stance. "If this thing is anything like the real you, it can really only fight at range."

"So, if we can get up close, that thing's good as toast," Sinon finished. "I like your style, kid."

Nick and Sinon tapped each other with their fists, then split up to divert Hollow Sinon's attention.

Sinon was the first to attack, firing off a barrage of arrows. Though it didn't do much damage, it did cause Hollow Sinon to hesitate in its next action, giving Nick the perfect window to dash in and strike, first knocking down Hollow Sinon with a Sonic Leap, then leaping into the air and swinging Freedom Striker hard, unleashing a wave of electric energy that drove Hollow Sinon into the 'ground' and paralyzed her.

"Gotta give Liz _major_ props for adding my element to my weapon," Nick quipped. "Sinon, you're up!"

Sinon nodded, firing off an ice arrow to freeze Hollow Sinon in place, but the Hollow clone easily broke free of the icy prison and retaliated by firing a strange dark arrow into the sky. Mere moments later, dark energy bolts began to rain down from the air, forcing the party to split apart so they didn't take too much damage.

"Okay, _that's_ a new one!" Yuuki exclaimed.

Nick blocked one of the stray bolts with his new Dreamcloud Sigma shield before rushing back in, keeping his shield up so he wouldn't be shot.

Hollow Sinon huffed before aiming straight for Nick's legs, only for Nick to leap into the air to avoid the low blow.

"Really? You seriously thought I'd fall for that old trick?" Nick quipped, slashing downwards and causing Hollow Sinon to stumble, giving Nick the opportunity to land on his feet and lash out with an Ars Arcanum that dropped Hollow Sinon's health bar to almost nothing.

"All right, Sinon, finish the faker off!" Nick shouted.

"With pleasure," Sinon proclaimed, aiming a light arrow straight for her Hollow self. After a few adjustments, Sinon let loose, the arrow shining and leaving a trail of light behind it as it soared through the distorted sky and planted itself right in Hollow Sinon's head, dropping its HP to zero.

Hollow Sinon fell onto its back before exploding into purple light shards.

"And that's another Hollow clone served up crispy!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Oof, now I made myself hungry saying that..."

"We've still got a long way to go," Kirito proclaimed. "We should probably get moving before another one shows up."

"Daddy, there's a player up ahead!" Yui exclaimed, gesturing towards a figure in the distance. Sure enough, an unconscious Cait Sith was lying on the nonexistent ground a few short yards away.

"Is... is she okay?" Silica asked.

"I think so. She just seems to be unconscious," Yui replied.

Inwardly, Kirito began thinking. That Cait Sith looked oddly familiar, even though he was sure they'd never met...

"Well, what are we waiting for, peoples? Let's go help her!" Yuuki exclaimed, and the group rushed over to the fallen Cait Sith.

The Cait Sith was about Sinon's age, with short blonde hair and yellow-green eyes that slowly fluttered open as Asuna used her healing spell to bring her back to full health. She also had marks on her face that resembled cat whiskers.

"Are you okay, little lady?" Yuuki asked.

"I... I should be," the Cait Sith groaned. "But when I find whoever hit me with that cheap shot, I swear I'm gonna..."

The Cait Sith looked around at the group that had saved her, eventually setting her gaze on Kirito. She gasped loudly at this, almost as if she'd reunited with an old childhood friend.

"Kii-bou!" the Cait Sith shouted, leaping to her feet and throwing herself at Kirito in a gigantic hug. "Is that really you?"

A memory came back to Kirito. There was only one person he knew that called him 'Kii-bou', though he hadn't seen her at all since the collapse of Sword Art Online, unsure if she was even one of the over 6,000 who'd made it through the death game.

"Argo?" Kirito quipped.

"The one and only!" Argo giggled. "I bet you really missed your favorite information broker, didn't you?"

Kirito chuckled to himself, only to remember something else. "Argo, what exactly are you doing in the Hollow Area?"

Argo huffed. "I was hoping you could tell me. I decided to check this place out, see if I could get any info about it, and then, someone jumps me and I'm out cold! When I find whoever did it, they're getting a face full of cat claw!"

"Hey, Nick, do you think she was brought here by whoever's messing with the Hollow Area?" Yuuki wondered.

"If it _is_ Death Gun, I wouldn't be surprised," Nick answered. "Just one more reason we have to shut this plot down."

"I haven't seen you in ages, Argo," Kirito stated. "What have you been up to lately?"

"Oh, you know me, Kii-bou," Argo giggled. "Always bartering for new information for the right price. It's just how I roll."

"And now we can add another to the harem," Yuuki teased.

Most of the girls jerked up upon hearing that, all setting their shocked gazes on Yuuki.

After a few seconds, Yuuki couldn't hold it in anymore, and burst out laughing.

"W-what's so funny, Yuuki?" Asuna exclaimed.

"The look on your faces!" Yuuki gasped. "Oh, man, that's priceless!"

Nick couldn't help but laugh himself. Yuuki always knew just how to lighten the mood of a situation.

Soon after, introductions were made, and Argo was added to the party so they could continue investigating the Hollow Area.

"So, this is supposed to be a bonus dungeon?" Argo quipped.

"Yeah, but something went wrong," Nick answered. "And the Hollows here got out."

"We all decided to take down whoever or whatever is behind this, because it _can't_ be good for ALfheim if these Hollows keep escaping," Yuuki continued.

"Oh, hey, I just realized, you're the Absolute Sword, aren't you?" Argo proclaimed. "The strongest swordsman in all of ALfheim Online!"

"That's right!" Yuuki giggled. "Even _Kirito_ couldn't beat me!"

"Do you really have to keep bringing that up?" Kirito groaned, a sweatdrop on his forehead.

"Hmm... maybe I could sell _you_ some choice info, Yuuki," Argo proclaimed.

"Eh?" Yuuki asked, a question mark appearing over her head.

"Argo's an information broker," Kirito explained. "She'll give you any information you want as long as you have the right price."

"That's how _I_ do business!" Argo exclaimed, as if it were her pride and joy.

Suddenly, another Hollow portal opened up in front of the group. And out of this one stepped a Hollow version of Lisbeth, her hair being dark purple instead of pink and wearing her SAO outfit.

"Okay, that doesn't seem fair," Lisbeth growled, readying her battle hammer. "My hair looks _way_ nicer than that!"

"Let's just take this thing out," Nick replied.

 **("Cheer! Tear? Cheer!" by Ayahi Takagaki plays)**

Hollow Lisbeth answered this by slamming its hammer down so hard it sent quakes through the area, knocking everyone off balance.

Nick recovered quickly, knowing that Hollow Lisbeth was strong but slow with that hammer and that quick attacks were the way to go in winning this fight.

To his surprise, Yuuki dashed in, stabbing out at Hollow Lisbeth before it could get its hammer out and causing quite a bit of damage.

Lisbeth, not one to be outdone, rushed over and used one of her favorite battle skills, Spiral Surge, where she swung her hammer in five spinning attacks and ended by slamming her hammer down right onto her Hollow self and knocking it back a few feet.

Nick jumped in soon after, taking advantage of Hollow Lisbeth's stunned state to unleash a Ragnarok Orbit that sent Hollow Lisbeth tumbling and its HP down to one.

"All yours, Liz!" Nick exclaimed.

"Yes!" Lisbeth proclaimed, taking a few steps back before dashing forward, slamming her hammer down only halfway to her target, but it turned out that Lisbeth decided to leap into the air after the swing, her momentum carrying her towards Hollow Lisbeth. Lisbeth let out a battle cry before striking one more time, her hammer basically bisecting Hollow Lisbeth.

"And that's how _I_ take care of business," Lisbeth proclaimed, giving a taunting wave as Hollow Lisbeth shattered into particles.

"Out of all of us, that's three Hollows down," Asuna noted. The group had defeated Hollow Sinon and Hollow Lisbeth in here, while she knew Nick and Yuuki had defeated Hollow Asuna in Dahngrest. "That leaves... I believe six more, if we keep going."

"Well, then let's go, already! I'm actually itching to fight my own Hollow!" Yuuki proclaimed.

As if something had been waiting for Yuuki to say that, the Hollow Area distorted around the group, eventually reforming into what appeared to be a palace overlooking a starry night sky.

And standing by the edge of the railing that separated the palace area from the sky was Hollow Yuuki.

"Okay, other me, you have anything to say before I come over there and Mother's Rosario you into oblivion?!" Yuuki challenged.

To her surprise, Hollow Yuuki turned around.

And actually spoke.

"I'm surprised you made it here," Hollow Yuuki teased.

" _I'm_ surprised you can _talk_ ," Yuuki shot back, readying her sword. "All the other Hollows we fought so far were all dead quiet."

"Let's just say that I'm special," Hollow Yuuki proclaimed. "My master took control of this Hollow Area and everything within it, so he could exact his revenge on the one who wronged him so."

"Revenge?!" Asuna shouted. "Then Death Gun _is_ behind all of this!"

"If you want to put it that way," Hollow Yuuki answered. "Yes, through simple hacking, Johnny was able to overwrite the Hollow Area's coding and bend it to his will. I'm sure you're all thinking, 'how could a crazy mass murderer actually hack ALfheim Online?' Well, suffice it to say, he had some help."

"Look, I _really_ don't even care what Death Gun's up to," Nick shot back, drawing Freedom Striker. "I swore that I would see them _dead_ for what they've done to me and my friends, and it looks like I have to start with you!" Electricity sparked along the blade to prove Nick's point.

Hollow Yuuki actually _laughed_ , not the soft, excitable giggles of the real Yuuki, but a loud, cackling, noblewoman-esque tirade that actually set Yuuki on edge.

"Oh, _please_! Do you morons _actually_ believe I'll let you through?!" Hollow Yuuki shouted. "And don't think I'll be as easy as the others were. Johnny put in some... shall we say, _special features_."

Hollow Yuuki floated into the air, activating her wings, which were actually demonic-looking and sharp, and summoned her sword, a dark version of Kirito's Excalibur.

"I'm sorry to say, but this is where your road ends," Hollow Yuuki stated. "Death Gun will live on. And I know who to start with."

Hollow Yuuki swung her sword, unleashing a wave of electricity that paralyzed the entire group.

"So sad, isn't it?" Hollow Yuuki proclaimed, walking up to Yuuki. "That I'd eventually take over for the Absolute Sword?"

Hollow Yuuki raised her sword high above her head. Yuuki gasped in shock, trying in vain to scoot away while under the paralysis effect.

"Now DIE!" Hollow Yuuki shouted, bringing the sword down.

Then, Lisbeth flashed a grin as Nick jumped to his feet and rushed over, swinging Freedom Striker upwards and knocking Hollow Yuuki's sword away.

"H-how did you...?" Hollow Yuuki gasped as Nick swung his sword around before thrusting it forward, piercing through Hollow Yuuki's chest.

"You forgot something," Nick proclaimed. "Electricity is my favored element, so you can't use that to paralyze _me_ as long as I have my sword equipped! Thank Liz for putting a special buff on it when she upgraded my sword."

Hollow Yuuki stumbled back and clutched her wounded chest. "So, you won't be as easy as I thought you'd be. That's fine by me!"

Hollow Yuuki once again took flight, unencumbered by her wound.

"Let's see how you fare against the Hollow Queen, drafted by the prince of hell himself!" Hollow Yuuki shouted.

That bit caused Kirito to gasp in shock. 'Prince of hell'? That couldn't mean...

 _To be continued..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On the next episode...

Nick: All right, you faker, let's see what you've got!

Leafa: Hey, even if we do beat this Hollow, what else could be lurking out here?

Kirito: Hopefully answers, because I have a pretty good idea who's behind this now.

Yuuki: Hey, get back here, you fake! I'm not done with you yet!

Nick: Yuuki, WATCH OUT!

Yuuki: What the...?!

Nick: Next time on _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario_ , "Into the Depths of Darkness"!

Yuuki: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	6. Into the Depths of Darkness

From the very core of the Hollow Area, the perpetrator continued to watch the battle with Hollow Yuuki unfold.

"This is so perfect," the figure proclaimed, looking like he was about to burst into crazy laughter any second now.

"They walked right into my domain, just as I knew they would," the figure stated, paying very close attention to the battle at hand. Even if Hollow Yuuki lost and was destroyed, Kirito and his friends would still be drawn here by their unworthy sense of justice, where he could unleash his vengeance.

He would pay, oh yes he would. The Black Swordsman would pay for destroying his life's work, his only reason for living.

Right now, the strange Sylph boy was trading blow after blow with Hollow Yuuki, noting his fervent desire to protect the real Yuuki.

Who was he to gainsay his futile heroism? Many others had died under the slashing blades of himself and his original organization for less.

"All that work was worth it, in my opinion," the figure stated. "Once my vengeance is complete, Death Gun will be remembered, rising from the ashes of Laughing Coffin."

The figure looked above him. "Even if this is my own world now, it won't change what I have planned for them."

The figure looked back at the battle that was unfolding. "So, yes. Make your way here, Kirito. Don't disappoint me, now! Especially after I worked so hard to bring you here!"

The figure got to his feet, overlooking the Hollow Area. "We'll see how long it takes for you to beg for my mercy, and only then will I strike you down! You will regret _ever_ having crossed the prince of hell!"

At that point, he began to laugh like a crazy man.

Because hey, when you get right down to it, that's exactly what most supervillains are...

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Never give up on your dreams, especially if you consider them to be worth fighting for.)

The Blue Time Ranger presents...  
 _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario  
_ Story Created: September 14th, 2015  
Today's Episode: September 25th, 2015  
Rated: T for Teen

 **Summary:** Nick Kelly and Yuuki Konno have had a rather odd life. With Yuuki constantly in the hospital, Nick has taken it upon himself to care for her, knowing that he may not have much time left with his best friend. However, a series of strange events begin to plague them. Between ALfheim Online where Nick and Yuuki are being stalked by a strange guild, and the real world where rumors are spreading about the return of Death Gun, Nick and Yuuki will have to protect each other with their lives if they hope to survive...

 **On Today's Episode:** The battle against Hollow Yuuki continues, with the group giving their all to defeat the prince of hell's self-proclaimed Hollow Queen. But even if they can defeat Hollow Yuuki, will they be ready to face off against the perpetrator of this madness? Even more surprising, the true enemy turns out to be a face from the past, one Kirito thought he would never see again...

 **Timeline Placement** : Though a slight AU to accomodate my OC, this story takes place before the end of the Mother's Rosario arc (Volume 7 of the novels and most of the second half of anime season 2), basically inbetween the time when Asuna reconciled with her mother and... *sniff* no spoilers. *sob* (even though you probably know already).

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own anything related to Sword Art Online. That's Reki Kawahara, not me. Anything I don't own, I am just borrowing. The character of Nick Kelly belongs to me, and he many only be used in your stuff with my permission. (I'll probably always say yes, as long as you don't make him look bad.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 6: Into the Depths of Darkness

"Get back here, you!" Yuuki shouted, using her Ethereal Blades magic and unleashing a salvo of purple energy blades at Hollow Yuuki, but she was moving too fast to avoid them. "Will you just stand still so I can shank you already?!"

"Sorry, other me, but you'll have to do better than that!" Hollow Yuuki shot back, ducking and weaving through the attack.

"We'll see about that," Sinon growled, aiming an arrow through Hollow Yuuki's flight path. The paralysis effect had worn off, leaving the rest of the group to discuss battle tactics while Nick and Yuuki fought off Hollow Yuuki.

Nick quickly slashed upwards, intending to knock Hollow Yuuki out of the sky, but she quickly countered with an overhead strike.

"Come on, Nick, keep her there..." Sinon stated, trying to get a bead on Hollow Yuuki's most vulnerable spot.

Nick danced away from the incoming blow and struck back with a Lightning Fall, stunning Hollow Yuuki and locking her in place.

Just then, Sinon saw it; the chest wound where Nick had struck earlier.

"Perfect!" Sinon shouted, letting her arrow fly. The projectile flew true and struck the chest wound, causing Hollow Yuuki to scream in agony.

"You _bastards!_ " Hollow Yuuki growled.

"Okay, see, that's another thing. I try not to swear if I can't help it, so that means you're a _really_ lousy duplicate!" Yuuki shouted, firing off four quick stabs in succession.

"Insolent fools! I am the Queen of Hollows!" Hollow Yuuki proclaimed. "You will pay for your insolence!"

"Oh, shut up, already," Asuna shot back, zipping in with a Flashing Penetrator to knock Hollow Yuuki away.

Silica, not one to be left out, drew her dagger, ready to fight. Pina began circling her, ready to attack when commanded.

"All right, I think I'm done screwing around," Hollow Yuuki stated. "How about we get rid of some of the more _irritating_ variables?!"

Hollow Yuuki flew through the air, straight for Silica...

...only to have her concentration broken when Sinon shot another arrow. It missed, but accomplished Sinon's intent perfectly, Hollow Yuuki's attention now on the Sniper Queen.

"Why, you little..."

"Pina, now!"

The little feather dragon unleashed a storm of fireballs that battered at Hollow Yuuki, giving Silica the time she needed to slice at the duplicate a few times. Leafa quickly made her presence known, dashing about and slashing Hollow Yuuki whenever she got close.

Klein also took advantage of the multi-directional attack, hopping in and delivering three clean, fiery slashes that knocked Hollow Yuuki's health bar below the halfway point.

"All right, _that's it!_ " Hollow Yuuki shouted, a dark aura surrounding her body. "I guess we're taking this to the next level!"

Hollow Yuuki summoned a _second_ Dark Excalibur to her free hand, charging both blades with dark magic before swinging them like wildfire, unleashing blades of darkness that shattered the ground wherever they struck, forcing the group to scatter.

"Yeah, that's more like it! Flee, you cowards!" Hollow Yuuki shouted.

"Actually, if you're supposed to be me..."

Hollow Yuuki stopped her multi-directional barrage, and slowly turned around.

"...how come you've never heard of a distraction?" Yuuki giggled, slamming her sword through the wound Nick had made at the beginning of the battle. Hollow Yuuki screamed in agony, her health dropping into the red.

"Nick, you're open!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Let this faker have it!"

"My pleasure, darling," Nick teased as he charged forward, pushing Hollow Yuuki with the Dreamcloud before unleashing Ars Arcanum. Hollow Yuuki could only stand there and take it, the barrage of sword slashes dropping her health very quickly.

Once his attack was over, Nick made two more slashes that cut off Hollow Yuuki's hands, forcing her to drop the twin Dark Excaliburs, which shattered into light particles soon after.

"No! This can't be! I'm supposed to be the Hollow Queen!" Hollow Yuuki exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"You know something?" Yuuki shot right back. "If you're the queen, where's your king? You said that mister prince picked you to be his queen. So _where is he now?_ "

Hollow Yuuki was completely silent with the revelation.

Yuuki smirked. "That's what I thought."

And with that, Yuuki unleashed Mother's Rosario, completely destroying what remained of Hollow Yuuki's health.

"N-no! My prince, where are you when I need you?!" Hollow Yuuki shouted to the heavens before exploding into light shards.

"Oh, yeah!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Now _that's_ what _I'm_ talkin' about!"

With Hollow Yuuki dealt with, the palace room around the group dissolved, placing them back in the swirling purple void.

"Queen of the Hollows, my _butt!_ " Yuuki proclaimed. "When will she learn that _no one_ can stand up to the Absolute Sword?!"

Yuuki looked over at Kirito, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Um, Kirito, what's the matter?" Yuuki asked.

"I think I may know who's pulling the strings here," Kirito answered. "Hollow Yuuki mentioned being chosen by the 'prince of hell'."

Almost immediately, Asuna realized who Kirito was talking about. "W-wait, Kirito. You can't _possibly_ mean..."

"I'm afraid so, Asuna," Kirito replied. "It's gotta be him."

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, _who's_ the one pulling the strings?" Nick asked.

"PoH. The former leader of Laughing Coffin."

An eerie silence passed over most of the group. Many of them had hoped to never hear from Laughing Coffin again, especially after the Death Gun case.

"It makes sense, though, if Death Gun is made up of surviving members of Laughing Coffin," Kirito stated. "He must be the one commanding Johnny Black."

"Well, if this PoH is in the Hollow Area, let's go and destroy him!" Yuuki proclaimed. "We take him down, that'll be sure to send Death Gun running!"

"I hope that's the case," Nick growled. "Because I am _sick and tired_ of more Death Gun lunatics popping up every five seconds! How much longer is this frickin' nightmare going to keep haunting me?!"

Nick's tirade was stopped by Yuuki reaching out to hug him.

"Aw, Nick, we already had this talk, remember?" Yuuki giggled. "They haven't broken us yet. We're still here, and we're going to make them regret ever messing with us."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right," Nick replied, hugging Yuuki back. "Let's go, then. The sooner we stomp PoH's face in, the sooner we can leave this nuthouse."

"Lead the way, Yui," Kirito asked, to which Yui flew ahead of the group to point them in the right direction.

And so, the journey continued through the Hollow Area. Along the way, the group encountered more Hollows fashioned after them, but they were all taken down easily by the real deal. Yuuki was the first to notice that the purple void was slowly growing darker as they moved on, which could only mean that they were getting closer.

Sure enough, after about forty-five minutes, the party had reached what appeared to be a rather run-down medieval castle. The void around them was almost black with malice now.

"Is this the place, Yui?" Kirito asked.

"Yea," Yui answered. "I'm detecting a lone player inside the castle. I'm pretty sure it's PoH."

"Well, then let's go in and end this madness!" Yuuki exclaimed, thrusting her sword to the sky. "For the memory of everyone that Death Gun and Laughing Coffin have murdered, _this ends now!_ "

Everyone else raised their weapons in agreement before marching into the castle.

And, sure enough, waiting at the center of the room, was a hooded figure, one that Kirito instantly recognized, forcing him to draw both Elucidator and Excalibur once again.

"Well, well," the figure proclaimed. "You actually made it here in one piece, Kirito. I'm impressed."

"PoH," Kirito growled.

"So, you remember me after all this time. I wish I could say I was touched," PoH proclaimed. "But, that doesn't really matter now, does it? I'd say we have more valuable things to get to."

"You're the one who reformed Death Gun?!" Nick challenged. "It's because of _you_ that my parents are dead, you monster! So you have exactly five seconds to plead your case before I drive this blade straight through your damn digital heart!"

"It's quite simple, really," PoH proclaimed, spreading his arms wide. "I am doing this for revenge. You destroyed Laughing Coffin, Kirito. You took away my legacy. And you just couldn't leave well enough alone when it came to Death Gun."

PoH reached behind him, obviously intending to draw a weapon. "Now, I knew that your curiosity would be piqued if the Hollows came out of this area and invaded ALfheim. You're just too damn predictable, Kirito. So, I loosed the Hollows to fight you and draw you all to me, where I could deal with you more effectively."

PoH drew a magnificently-crafted sword, no doubt belonging to whoever had owned this castle in the old legends. "And now that you are all here, I believe it is time for the final act."

A loud rumble shook the area as a great dragon burst through the wall behind PoH.

"Get ready, everyone!" Kirito shouted.

"Oh, this is gonna be _fun_ ," Yuuki commented sarcastically. "So, now we have to deal with both PoH _and_ this dragon thing?!"

"Behold, the end of the legendary Black Swordsman," PoH proclaimed, taking a few steps back towards the dragon. "Your legend ends here, Kirito. Now watch and tremble in fear as I take everything away from you!"

PoH leaped into the air, actually merging his avatar with the dragon and causing it to become more humanoid. The instant the newly-christened Hell Dragon's feet touched the castle floor, the entire area dissolved, and the Hollow Area transformed into a orange-and-yellow tinted black hole.

" _Now you will die, Kirito! Death Gun and Laughing Coffin will forever live on!"_ the Hell Dragon proclaimed.

"Asuna!" Kirito shouted.

"Already on it, Kirito!" Asuna shouted, tossing a mana-restoring item over her to restore her MP to full, then chanting a few spells as quickly as she possibly could. The series of bright lights that surrounded the party healed them all to full health and provided them with both offensive and defensive buffs.

"We're ready!" Asuna proclaimed.

"All right, then _here we go!_ " Yuuki shouted. Everyone nodded in agreement and charged for the Hell Dragon as one.

The battle quickly dissolved into all-out madness as the party tried multiple strategies, from letting Leafa get some quick shots in due to her speed, to assaulting a possible weak point with special Sword Skills, but the Hell Dragon didn't seem to be taking much damage, as its first health bar, of four, had only dropped about halfway by this point. Though, one good point stood out; the group could actually fly in this area, despite the Hollow Area technically being a dungeon, no doubt to PoH's hacking of the system.

"Damn it, this isn't working!" Kirito growled. "His defenses are unbelievable!"

"Maybe we need to use skills that can pierce defenses!" Nick shouted. "It's a classic RPG tactic!"

And Nick knew one of his original swords skills would do just the trick. Not wasting a second, Nick feinted around the fireballs the Hell Dragon was shooting from its mouth, and raised his sword to unleash Ragnarok Orbit.

But, on the fourth spin, the Hell Dragon reached out and caught Nick in its massive hand.

" _Do you seriously think a mere sword can stop me?!"_ the Hell Dragon proclaimed. _"Don't make me laugh!"_

Before Nick could figure out how to break free, the Hell Dragon reached back and spiked Nick into the 'ground', causing him to bounce a few times before crashing into a crumpled heap.

Yuuki immediately doubled back to make sure Nick was all right. Checking his health, she saw that Nick's health was down to the red zone.

 _From just one attack?!_ Yuuki thought. _Man, this thing is strong!_

" _Oh, and I have a little surprise for all of you,"_ the Hell Dragon proclaimed. _"Since I hacked the Hollow Area, I basically control the area itself. So, I've rigged it so that if anyone dies in here, their Amusphere will short-circuit and fry your brain in the real world!"_

The entire party stopped dead at that. It was just like Sword Art Online again.

"Well, that won't stop us, PoH!" Kirito shouted, flourishing both of his blades. "We'll stop you for good!"

" _Ever the confident one, Black Swordsman,"_ the Hell Dragon proclaimed. _"By all means, do entertain me!"_

"He... he's bluffing, isn't he?" Asuna gasped.

"No, I'm afraid he isn't, mommy," Yui answered. "I just checked our Amusphere signals, and they're being interfered with."

"So, if we die here, we're dead for real?" Asuna stammered. Yui solemnly nodded.

Kirito roared in anger, rushing over to assault the Hell Dragon with Starburst Stream while Silica backed away to tend to Nick.

Pina let out a loud cry, its body shining as it healed Nick to full.

"Ow, my head..." Nick groaned, looking up at Silica and giving her a hug. "Thanks, Silica, I owe you big."

"No problem!" Silica giggled.

The Hell Dragon bellowed in pain as Kirito finished up Starburst Stream, finally making a dent in the Hell Dragon's tough hide and depleting its first health bar.

" _Do not think you have won yet, Kirito!"_ the Hell Dragon roared, opening its eyes fully and unleashing a wave of energy that tore across the floor, forcing the party back a few steps. Kirito continued to circle the beast, knowing it was slow in exchange for its monstrous strength.

"Okay, game plan, guys, what do we do?" Leafa asked.

"Well, maybe this is your time to shine, Leafa," Asuna stated. "From what we've gathered, this monster is strong but slow. You're the fastest aside from Yuuki, so I want you to carry Sinon above the dragon so she can get a clear shot. I'm pretty sure that tough skin doesn't cover its whole body."

"Roger!" Leafa proclaimed, throwing her hand up in a salute to Asuna.

Kirito continued to slash at the Hell Dragon, doing damage where he could to hopefully speed along the process of taking it down.

Leafa, once she had Sinon secured in her arms, took off into the sky, staying as far as possible from the Hell Dragon until she reached a certain altitude.

Once she spotted the target, Sinon signaled to Leafa to let her go, and Leafa did so, letting Sinon fall towards the massive head of the Hell Dragon.

Noting that this reminded her of when she'd taken down Behemoth's squad in Gun Gale Online, Sinon aimed her arrow for one of the few soft parts on the Hell Dragon. After a couple seconds to steady herself, Sinon let her fire arrow fly, the projectile creating a trail of fire as it screamed through the air and struck the Hell Dragon's left eye, precisely on target.

" _AGGGGHHH! You wretch! You dare sully my vision?!"_ the Hell Dragon screamed, clawing at its face in agony. Sinon smirked before unleashing another fire arrow, this one piercing its other eye and exploding, forcing the Hell Dragon to stumble back.

Sinon smiled as Leafa caught her, gently setting the blue-haired Cait Sith on the 'ground'.

"Nice one, Sinon!" Leafa proclaimed.

"Hopefully this'll help out," Sinon noted, readying another arrow in case she needed it.

Lisbeth charged in, swinging her hammer upwards and catching the Hell Dragon in a rather... _personal_ area, causing the great beast to bellow in pain and its second health bar to empty.

"Really, Liz?" Asuna groaned, a sweatdrop on her forehead.

"Hey, it worked, right?" Lisbeth proclaimed.

The Hell Dragon lifted itself off the ground, and began to float around the arena, though oddly it didn't attack.

"Maybe it can't see?" Yuuki wondered. "I mean, Sinon _did_ shoot the thing's eyes out."

"Hmmm... that gives me an idea," Nick noted, readying Freedom Striker. "I'm going in!"

"Nick, Pina and I will cover you!" Silica exclaimed, Pina crowing in agreement. Nick flashed a thumbs up before charging into the fray, rushing to the back of the great beast.

Like Sinon had noticed earlier, not all of the Hell Dragon's hide was tough and scaly. And Nick had just spotted one of the soft spots, the Hell Dragon's tail. He covertly waved to Yuuki, who got the message and flew around the edge of the arena to meet up. They both knew that even though the Hell Dragon's vision was gone, it could still hear.

"So, what's the plan, Nick?" Yuuki asked.

"Hit the tail," Nick stated simply, Freedom Striker glowing orange. "Everything we've got."

"Roger!" Yuuki giggled, drawing her sword back and performing a Mother's Rosario on the tail, causing the Hell Dragon to jerk forward in agony.

Once the final stab connected, Nick wasted no time in switching in, assaulting the tail with Ars Arcanum. The final slash actually cut the Hell Dragon's tail off, and caused the third health bar to drain to nothing.

" _You actually continue to fight?!"_ the Hell Dragon proclaimed. _"That is simply adorable! Well, let me take that fight away from you!"_

The Hell Dragon bent down and opened its maw, spewing deadly fire all over the area. This didn't stop Klein, who rushed through the fire and leaped out to slash at the Hell Dragon's horn, cracking it in a few places.

"Hey, this is actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be!" Klein quipped, slashing at the Hell Dragon's face for good measure.

"Probably because PoH's being overconfident," Nick realized. "It's the worst trait for a villain to have, 'cause it usually leads to their downfall."

"Well, he's down to his last health bar, so let's go in there and finish him off!" Yuuki exclaimed.

 **("TNF 32 Suite" by Helmut Vonlichten plays)**

With that, the entire group rushed in to put an end to the Hell Dragon.

Silica provided covering fire by way of Pina while she stabbed the Hell Dragon's feet, Lisbeth kept the dragon at bay by creating shockwaves with her hammer, Leafa darted back and forth slashing at the creature's wounded face, Sinon kept firing arrow after arrow to lock the dragon in its place, Klein went for the dragon's horn, eventually cleaving it off, Nick attacked its now wounded underbelly with a Ragnarok Orbit, Yuuki hopped off of its side to slash at its prone wings, Asuna unleashed a Flashing Penetrator to stun-lock the Hell Dragon, and Kirito delivered the finishing blow with a powerful cross-slash straight through the Hell Dragon's face.

As its final health bar dropped to nothing, the Hell Dragon bellowed in pure disbelief as it glowed with an otherworldly light and exploded with much pageantry, leaving PoH's body to drop to the 'ground'.

"H-how? How can this be?" PoH gasped, unable to believe how thoroughly he'd been defeated. "I had you at my mercy, I had you under my thumb... how did you defeat me?"

"Oh, well, isn't that just too bad," Kirito taunted. "I told you, you and your cronies aren't going to defeat me."

Nick, however, gripped his sword tightly. He saw his chance, and knew this would be his only opportunity to take it.

His mind made up, Nick marched forward, drawing Freedom Striker again.

"H-hey, what are you..." Kirito started, knowing what Nick was about to do. He tried to rush forward, only to be stopped by Yuuki, who just shook her head.

Nick stopped just two steps away from PoH, sizing him up.

"You want to kill me, don't you?" PoH proclaimed. "Go ahead. I dare you. You know I'll die for real if you kill me right now. So, go on and do it. Strike me down. Take your revenge."

PoH obviously expected to throw Nick off with this statement.

What he didn't expect, however, was for Nick to actually raise his blade.

"Y-you wouldn't!" PoH exclaimed.

"Well, to be honest," Nick proclaimed, "I had some time to think it over, and quite frankly..."

Nick readied himself.

"I just don't give a shit."

To the shock of everyone but Yuuki, Nick brought Freedom Striker down diagonally, cutting through and bisecting PoH's avatar. Shards of red light burst from the injury, and PoH screamed in disbelief one more time before exploding into red shards of light himself.

The Hollow Area shifted back to the standard swirling purple void once PoH was finished, no sign of his castle anywhere in sight.

Nick let his sword drop, sighing heavily. _That's not the end of it, though. Johnny Black's still out there somewhere,_ Nick thought. _But I think I can take pride in the fact that I took down their leader._

"Are you all right, Nick?" Yuuki asked, walking up to Nick. "I know that must have been hard for you..."

"I'll be fine," Nick replied, turning around and hugging Yuuki tightly.

 _I just saw my boyfriend actually kill a person,_ Yuuki thought. _And, to be perfectly honest, I can't blame him in the slightest for doing that. Those Death Gun jerks are going to pay for what they did._

"Thanks for being so understanding, Yuuki," Nick stated.

"Hey, if anyone deserved to actually die, it's those freaks," Yuuki replied. "And don't worry, we'll find Johnny Black sooner or later, and that'll be the end of it."

" _Attention all ALfheim Online players,"_ a voice proclaimed, most likely the system announcer. _"Due to a glitch in the recent update, Castle Aincrad will be inaccessible for up to four hours while repairs are made. We will teleport everyone to their territory until then if you do not choose to log out."_

"Wait, they're taking Aincrad down?" Lisbeth gasped.

"Most likely so they can fix whatever glitch affected the Hollow Area and close up the hole that PoH hacked in," Nick realized. "So, how about we all log off for today? I think we did a good job."

"Sounds good to me," Leafa replied. "I have kendo practice soon anyway."

So, everyone went through their menus and logged out from the Hollow Area, hoping to put that strange incident behind them.

And with Death Gun's leader now out of the picture, hopefully it was only a matter of time until Johnny Black followed suit.

 _That night, back in the real world..._

"Oh, wow, look how late it is!" Yuuki exclaimed once she and Nick found themselves back in the hospital. "How the heck long were we in that place?!"

"Long enough, I'd guess," Nick replied, placing his Amusphere back into his bag. The clock read 11:37 now. Thank goodness it was the weekend. "I almost lost track of time in the Hollow Area."

"Hey, I have to admit, that place looked cool," Yuuki giggled. "Gotta love the swirling void thingy."

"Don't I know it," Nick quipped. "Well, I'm gonna get some sleep, because I am _bushed_ from all that nonsense."

"Hey," Yuuki asked.

"Yeah?"

Yuuki smiled, patting a spot on her bed. "Why don't we share a bed tonight?"

Nick blushed at that, knowing he'd never done something like that before. "Is... is that okay, Yuuki?"

"Of course!" Yuuki replied. "It's a big bed, after all."

Nick did notice that Yuuki's hospital bed was rather unusually large, most likely to accommodate the Medicuboid.

"And, in what I think is more important, I figured you could use some company while you sleep," Yuuki continued. "Despite the fact that PoH _completely_ deserved what he got, I know it must have been hard to find enough courage to actually bring your blade down."

"It's something I'll be thinking about for a while," Nick admitted as he climbed onto the bed to lay down next to Yuuki. "Even if killing him saved a bunch of other lives, that won't change the fact that I actually killed him with that strike."

"Remember, I said I'd always be there no matter what, and this is no different," Yuuki answered.

"I really don't deserve you sometimes, Yuuki," Nick quipped.

"But you have me regardless," Yuuki giggled. "And that's not changing anytime soon."

Nick couldn't help but kiss Yuuki after that.

"Now, how about we get some sleep, then? It's been a _long_ day," Yuuki stated, pulling the bedsheets over them. "Is... is everything okay, Nick?"

"It's just... this is the first time I've ever shared a bed with a girl," Nick admitted. "I guess I'm just not used to it, is all..."

"Aww, you're so cute when you're flustered," Yuuki teased, reaching out to hold Nick's hands.

"Good night, Yuuki," Nick stated. "I love you, you know."

"I love you, too, Nick. Sweet dreams," Yuuki giggled, kissing Nick one more time.

Soon enough, the two lovebirds fell asleep together, not knowing that something was prowling through the night.

"They killed PoH. I can't believe this!" Johnny Black shouted, covered in Death Gun's signature black hood.

"These kids are more resourceful than I thought. But that doesn't matter now. I know of another way to flush Kirito out."

Johnny Black looked at the door to the hospital.

"And when the time comes, I know exactly where to start."

 _To be continued..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On the next episode...

Yuuki: Well, things are calming down now after the Hollow Area glitch.

Nick: And it seems like we're actually going after the floor 31 boss this time, too!

Yuuki: And we're sure that's actually the raid party? Because we all remember what happened _last_ time.

Nick: Don't worry, I had Kirito check them out. They're good.

Yuuki: So... what's the boss like?

Nick: Oh, you're gonna want to see this one for yourself. Next time on _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario_ , "The Fated March to Oblivion"!

Yuuki: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	7. The Fated March to Oblivion

Kurahashi couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight when he walked into Yuuki's room the next morning.

Nick and Yuuki were both in the same bed, fast asleep and holding hands with each other.

All he really knew about the situation was that the two of them had been in ALfheim for quite a chunk of time. He wondered if it had something to do with the glitch that had hit the other day.

After a couple seconds of thought, he decided he'd let them have their moment, slowly walking out of the room to let them sleep.

Kurahashi went back to checking his charts, but was quickly interrupted when one of his fellow doctors rushed to him, looking like she was out of breath.

"What is it, Hana?" Kurahashi wondered.

"Kurahashi, you need to come with me," Hana proclaimed, sounding extremely urgent.

Still unsure what was happening, Kurahashi nonetheless decided to follow Hana and see what was up.

Eventually, Hana led them into a very familiar room, the very room where they were conducting experiments in hopes of finding a cure for Yuuki's condition.

"Doctor, you're not going to believe this," Hana stated, answering Kurahashi's unasked question. "But I believe... that we have been successful in our experiments."

Kurahashi's expression brightened considerably. "Are you serious, Hana?"

"The tests just came back from the lab mice," Hana answered. "There is no sign of the virus within them."

"Oh, Yuuki will be so happy to hear that," Kurahashi exclaimed. "Is it ready to be given to humans?"

"It may take a few more days to finalize everything," Hana replied, "but yes, we believe so."

Kurahashi could just imagine the look on Yuuki's face when she heard the news.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Never give up on your dreams, especially if you consider them to be worth fighting for.)

The Blue Time Ranger presents...  
 _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario  
_ Story Created: September 14th, 2015  
Today's Episode: September 26th, 2015  
Rated: T for Teen

 **Summary:** Nick Kelly and Yuuki Konno have had a rather odd life. With Yuuki constantly in the hospital, Nick has taken it upon himself to care for her, knowing that he may not have much time left with his best friend. However, a series of strange events begin to plague them. Between ALfheim Online where Nick and Yuuki are being stalked by a strange guild, and the real world where rumors are spreading about the return of Death Gun, Nick and Yuuki will have to protect each other with their lives if they hope to survive...

 **On Today's Episode:** With the Hollow Area fixed up and PoH put down permanently, ALfheim Online seems to be returning to normal. Once again, Nick and Yuuki decide to join the raid party to explore floor 31's labyrinth for real this time, but this boss may be a good bit tougher than what they've seen before. Meanwhile, Johnny Black, the only survivor of the new Death Gun, decides to plan out his next move...

 **Timeline Placement** : Though a slight AU to accomodate my OC, this story takes place before the end of the Mother's Rosario arc (Volume 7 of the novels and most of the second half of anime season 2), basically inbetween the time when Asuna reconciled with her mother and... *sniff* no spoilers. *sob* (even though you probably know already).

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own anything related to Sword Art Online. That's Reki Kawahara, not me. Anything I don't own, I am just borrowing. The character of Nick Kelly belongs to me, and he many only be used in your stuff with my permission. (I'll probably always say yes, as long as you don't make him look bad.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 7: The Fated March to Oblivion

Yuuki was the first to wake up, noticing that Nick was still holding her hands.

"He's so cute," Yuuki giggled. "Hey. Hey, wake up, sleeping beauty."

Yuuki gently nudged Nick's forehead with her own, since they were still holding hands. This caused Nick to stir pretty quickly.

"Wouldn't _you_ be a sleeping beauty, since I'd probably be the prince?" Nick quipped. "Besides, that joke's been beaten into the dirt _way_ too many times for me to count."

"Hey, I thought it was fun," Yuuki replied. "So, what do you think is gonna happen in ALfheim today?"

"Hopefully things are calming down there," Nick replied. "From what I heard, they had to shut down Aincrad for a lot longer than they said they would. PoH really must have screwed things up."

"Well, hacker attacks are pretty tricky to fix sometimes," Yuuki noted. "They probably had to add some kind of new security measure to make sure it can't happen again."

"Let's just pray that this is the last we'll see of Death Gun for a while," Nick answered. "That message hopefully sent them running."

Yuuki knew, however, that this most likely wasn't the last they'd see of Death Gun. Kirito's government contact, one Seijuro Kikouka, had informed them that Johnny Black was still on the run. Much to their relief, however, he'd also stated that the real world identity of PoH had been found dead due to his Amusphere short-circuiting from an overcharge. Hoist by his own petard, as Nick so eloquently put it.

"Well, let's not think about that for right now," Yuuki replied. "I heard there's something going on at the coliseum in Dahngrest today."

"Wait, there's a _coliseum_ in Dahngrest?!" Nick exclaimed. "This is the the first _I'm_ hearing of it."

"Ooh, wouldn't that be fun?" Yuuki giggled.

"It probably wouldn't be for whatever poor sap goes up against you," Nick replied. "They probably know you'd destroy them if you got a chance."

"Let's enter anyway!" Yuuki answered. "We need some fun anyway, after last night."

"Yeah, we _definitely_ need to unwind," Nick stated. "Ah, why not? I'm itching to test my skills anyway."

"Yes! Coliseum, here we come!" Yuuki exclaimed.

Indeed, once Nick and Yuuki reached Dahngrest, the first sight they saw was thousands of players lined up to enter the coliseum at the very center of the city.

"Whoa, this place is PACKED!" Yuuki shouted.

"Guess they weren't kidding about there being an event today," Nick noted. "But what's the stakes?"

Nick took a few steps closer to investigate the large banner advertising the tournament.

"It looks like the winner gets an ultra-rare item," Nick stated. "They're not saying what it is, though."

"Well, of course!" Yuuki replied. "That would spoil the surprise! Come on, let's go enter!"

"Yuuki."

"Yeah?"

Nick took Yuuki's hands. "If you and I have to fight... don't hold back, okay? I want to see you at your full fighting spirit."

"I was just about to say the same to you," Yuuki giggled. "If we meet up, we're giving it our all. That's a promise!"

Nick and Yuuki kissed to seal the promise, then moved hand in hand to enter the coliseum.

It was quite the festive event, indeed. The city of Dahngrest was holding a commemorative tournament to celebrate the anniversary of ALfheim Online's launch.

"Nice to see such a packed stadium!" the announcer proclaimed. "Welcome to the ALfheim Online Commemorative Battle, where we'll see how skilled you all have gotten! Standard duel rules apply to today's battles, so let's not waste any more time and get this party started!"

It was a sixteen-person tournament, single-elimination type, and Nick actually noticed that some of Kirito's friends were in the tournament.

 _But where's Kirito, then?_ Nick thought. _Oh, wait, he's probably off trying to find some more info about Death Gun. We just have to take down Johnny, and that should be the end of it._

After a lot of flying blades and spells being flung everywhere, the competition was reduced to four participants.

"All right, we're almost there, everybody," the announcer exclaimed. "Now, for the first of our semifinal matches, we have..."

The crowd was silent, waiting to hear who was going first.

"...Yuuki, the Absolute Sword!"

Yuuki stepped through the coliseum gates, waving to the crowd who seemed to be going crazy at the mere mention of her. Yuuki realized that she should have seen it coming; after all, she _was_ the strongest swordsman in ALfheim.

"Always wonderful to see our strongest sword-wielder in the field," the announcer stated. "And now, for her opponent..."

Yuuki tensed up, already having a pretty good idea who she would be facing.

"...Makoto, the Whirlwind Knight!"

Sure enough, Nick came through the opposite gates, smiling towards Yuuki.

"Two outstanding swordsmen, coming together for the semifinal match!" the announcer proclaimed. "Let's hope they put on a good show for us! Players, step up to the field!"

Nick and Yuuki walked onto the field, stopping only a couple steps from each other.

"Well, then," Nick quipped. "You ready to go all out?"

"Oh, yeah," Yuuki giggled, sending Nick the duel request. "Let's give 'em one heck of a show."

Once the duel was prompted, Nick and Yuuki drew their weapons.

"On your marks... get set... FIGHT!" the announcer exclaimed, timing himself with the last three seconds of the countdown.

Once the bell sounded, Nick and Yuuki were already rushing at each other, their swords clashing with loud clangs and flying sparks.

Yuuki quickly lashed out with an overhead swing, but Nick brought up Dreamcloud to block before striking back with his newest sword skill, Hurricane Fall, a quick series of spins before leaping into the air and coming down with an overhead chop to put space between himself and his opponent.

Yuuki didn't let this faze her, however, quickly striking back with a Quadruple Pain that actually broke through Nick's defenses and brought his health down to eighty-five percent.

"Nice one, Yuuki, but I'm just getting started!" Nick shouted, dashing in and knocking Yuuki into the sky with an uppercut slash, following this by leaping into the air and unleashing Ragnarok Orbit, spiking Yuuki back to the ground and dropping her health to eighty percent.

"Okay, guess it's time to step it up!" Yuuki proclaimed, dashing forward just as Nick touched down onto the ground and unleashing her Ethereal Blades spell, forcing Nick to hop back to avoid getting skewered by the blades.

Nick chanted a spell of his own, then swung Freedom Striker upwards, sending a lightning bolt into the air. This eventually created a storm cloud over the arena that began to drop wicked lightning bolts all over the arena, forcing Yuuki to stay on the move. This gave Nick all the time he needed to rush in and unleash Ars Arcanum.

A left-horizontal spiral slash, a right-horizontal flourish, a vertical uppercut, a downward spike, four left-to-right-to-left slashes, a diagonal uppercut, and a downward chop, Freedom Striker's blade leaving orange light trails with each strike.

An outward stab, a right-hand slice, two diagonal slashes in an X formation, a quick slap with the flat of the blade, and finally, Nick gripped the blade tightly, leaping into the air and slicing downward with all the force of a crashing airliner, dropping Yuuki's health to fifty-two percent when it was over.

 _Ack, so close!_ Nick thought. _Just need one more blow to..._

"Gotcha."

Nick looked up to see Yuuki tanking the final hit of Ars Arcanum and bringing her sword back, the blade glowing a bright purple.

Nick didn't even have time to shout the "oh, crap" he was thinking as Yuuki let out a loud bellow before stabbing outwards five times, creating a horizontal line down Nick's chest. Yuuki spun around and stabbed out five more times, creating another line going the opposite way, both lines forming a sort of X. Finally, Yuuki reared back and thrust her sword forward with a loud battle cry, driving the point of her blade straight into the center of the X she'd formed with her earlier sword stabs.

Nick was sent flying by the attack, his health now down to forty percent.

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause, with the status window above the battlefield proclaiming Yuuki the winner of the duel.

"And what a finish!" the announcer proclaimed. "Yuuki will be advancing to the final round!"

"So, how was _that_ for fighting spirit?" Yuuki giggled, helping Nick to his feet.

"I should have realized that once Mother's Rosario comes out, whoever's on the receiving end is pretty screwed," Nick replied, brushing the dust off of his outfit. "I guess I'm no exception."

"Hey, your OSS is pretty strong, too," Yuuki quipped. "I'm pretty sure the only reason I got you there was because I decided to tank that last hit."

"Learning some new tactics, huh?" Nick teased.

"Whatever works," Yuuki stated, mirroring a statement Nick liked to use.

"All right, so you're moving on to the finals," Nick noted. "Go on and kick some butt."

"You got it!" Yuuki proclaimed.

As the final match went underway, being Yuuki against a very muscular-looking Spriggan, Nick saw something in the audience.

A strange, hooded figure.

Nick immediately tensed, recognizing the hood as belonging to Death Gun.

 _What is he doing here?_ Nick thought, pushing his way through the crowd to tail the hooded figure. _I thought Death Gun scattered after we killed PoH._

Nick finally caught up to the hooded figure just outside the coliseum. "Hey, asshole! You've got five seconds to explain yourself," Nick growled, drawing Freedom Striker. "You want a taste of what I did to PoH?!"

"So _you're_ the one who killed our leader?!" the hooded figure shouted. "Oh, I'm going to have a fun time finding you and presenting your head to Johnny Black."

"Well, good luck with that," Nick shot back. "The police are crawling all over the city looking for you and the rest of your goons. And it won't be long before I find Johnny Black and take _him_ out of the picture, too."

"Over my dead body!" the figure shouted.

Nick smirked. "That can be arranged."

The hooded figure discarded his cloak, revealing himself to be an Imp, before waving his hand and firing off a salvo of dark energy spears straight for Nick.

Nick simply brought up his Dreamcloud to block the spears before charging in.

"Big mistake, boy," the Imp growled.

" _Your_ mistake was pissing me off!" Nick shot right back. "Yuuki might try to find the good in everyone, but you freaks gave that all up!"

Nick swung Freedom Striker, countering the Imp's longsword.

"And, to be sure you _understand_ , I owe you some _lumps_ for killing my parents, you murderers," Nick growled, swinging and catching the Imp across the chest. "If you see Johnny Black, give him this message."

Nick raised Freedom Striker above his head.

"I'm coming for him very soon."

With that said, Nick brought his blade down, slicing through the Imp and causing his body to explode into light fragments, leaving only the Remain Light, which faded after about a minute.

"Hey, Nick!" Yuuki exclaimed, rushing up to him. "I took down that last guy, but then I noticed you weren't there. What exactly happened?"

"I was trailing one of Death Gun's mooks," Nick replied. "I saw him in the stadium and I figured I'd see what he's up to. Like a good little mook, he accosted me, so I decided to take him down. And, just to be frank, I told him to pass Johnny a message."

Nick then noticed that Yuuki was holding another pendant similar to the one she'd won in the Lair of the North Witch.

"So, you got another pendant, huh?" Nick quipped, shifting the conversation away from Death Gun.

"Yep!" Yuuki giggled. "Apparently, these Memento Pendants are extremely rare in ALfheim. Now, that makes two!"

Yuuki thought for a second. "Actually..."

Yuuki swiped her right hand, opening a status window and trading her second pendant over to Nick. "There. Now we match!" Yuuki proclaimed.

"What exactly do they do?" Nick wondered.

"Apparently, they confer a big +7 to all our stats," Yuuki noted, reviewing the item description. "Pretty cool, if you ask me!"

"That could definitely be useful in the future," Nick quipped. "And, like I said, it looks good on you."

"Oh, stop it," Yuuki giggled, blushing slightly. Just then, she noticed a large group of people right outside the coliseum. Most of them were pretty heavily armored.

"Hey, what's with the armor brigade?" Yuuki wondered.

"I think that's the raid party," Nick replied. He knew that a raid party was getting ready to challenge the floor 31 boss, but he was still a little wary. After all, the previous "raid trip" had turned out to be a trap by Death Gun.

"Well, let's go see what's up," Yuuki stated, and the two walked up to the crowd.

"Okay, everyone, is our plan clear?" the raid leader proclaimed. A chorus of affirmations came. "Good. Let us set out for the labyrinth!"

"Um, excuse me?" Yuuki asked. "Could you guys hold on just a second?"

Yuuki didn't waste time, scanning the information of the raid team to make sure none of them were in disguise. After all, there weren't any Spriggans in this raid party this time.

"All right, you're all good," Yuuki proclaimed, just then noticing the weird look on an Undine's face. "Hey, the last raid party was actually a Death Gun ambush, so I just wanted to be sure."

"Wait, Death Gun?" a Cait Sith gasped. "You mean _they're_ the black hoods that have been running around lately?"

"Hey, if Nick or I find any of them, we'll personally take 'em down," Yuuki stated. "We've got beef with those losers anyway."

"Dude, if the Absolute Sword is our security, that's good enough for me," a Salamander proclaimed.

"Let's not waste any more time, people," the raid leader shouted. "We have a labyrinth to conquer. Let's move out!"

And as the group set off for the floor labyrinth, Yuuki realized something.

"So, none of these guys are Death Gun in disguise," Yuuki quipped. "But what's stopping them from jumping us while we're in the labyrinth?"

"We just watch our backs, is all," Nick replied. "Even so, I don't think Death Gun would be stupid enough to attack a fully-trained raid party, especially one that has the Absolute Sword as its Death Gun repellent."

"Got that right," Yuuki giggled. She and Nick held hands as they approached the gate to the labyrinth. The great marble doors opened to reveal...

...something very strange indeed.

"Um, okay?" Yuuki quipped. "This is _definitely_ the strangest labyrinth yet."

"You're telling me," Nick replied. The labyrinth was, for all effects and purposes, a swirling void of multi-colored light, the void itself slowly spinning and undulating in a way that made it resemble a hyperspace tunnel. The ground of the labyrinth was almost invisible, just opaque enough for players to know it was there, and resembled stained glass.

"All right, everyone, let us defeat this boss!" the raid leader proclaimed. With that, the raid party set out through the labyrinth.

It was a strange trip, almost as strange as the labyrinth itself. The path ahead seemed to fork off into multiple routes seemingly at random, as if the labyrinth had a will of its own. And every now and then, the raid team were set upon by strange monsters that looked like they'd jumped right out of a nightmare.

"Oh, god, what is that thing?!" a Sylph exclaimed, dodging through the monster's multiple energy whips.

"I'm not sticking around to find out!" an Undine shot back, backing away from the monster to provide buffs and healing to his allies.

The monster lashed out at the Undine, only for Yuuki to hop in and slash at the tentacle, forcing it to back off.

"No touchy-feely on my watch!" Yuuki proclaimed. "Nick, your turn!"

"Got it!" Nick shouted, rushing in and attacking the monster with a Savage Fulcrum, knocking it on its back.

Yuuki took the time to unleash her Ethereal Blades spell, only to get a nasty surprise when the monster simply absorbed the blades and fired them right back.

"Whoa!" Yuuki shouted, ducking and weaving to avoid her own spell. "No one told me those things could do _that_!"

"Guess that means we stick to sword skills for now," Nick stated, hopping off of Yuuki's shoulders so he could leap above the monster and finish it off with an elemental sword skill, Bulletdive Drop, where he charged up his weapon with lightning and dropped straight downward, driving his blade right through the monster's body, destroying it with ease.

"Well, that was... weird," Nick quipped. "These monsters are getting _really_ strange."

"And we're only halfway through the labyrinth," Yuuki noted. "And I hope we finish it soon. This refracting light tunnel is starting to hurt my eyes."

Thankfully for the group, the monsters the raid party encountered later were no stranger than the recent ones, and the entire group made it to the boss gate without much trouble.

"Hey, Nick?" Yuuki asked, finally vocalizing something that weirded her out. "Wasn't this labyrinth completely different the last time we were in it?"

"Kirito confirmed that where we were wasn't really the labyrinth," Nick answered. "Just more illusion magic so Death Gun could fool us."

"Those sneaky little..." Yuuki growled.

"All right, raid party," the raid leader proclaimed. "Is everyone ready?"

"Do we have any information on this boss?" a Salamander asked.

"All we know is that it likes to use sleep spells before attacking, so if anyone has any spells that raise resistance to sleep, get them ready," the raid leader.

The boss door opened, and the raid party stepped in.

"Oh, man, _more_ of this kaleidoscopic madness?!" Yuuki growled. The boss room was a swirling, black hole-like void of what appeared to be every color in existence, with Yuuki noting the void seemed similar to the one where she had fought the Hell Dragon back in the Hollow Area.

"My question is, where's the boss?" Nick wondered. His question was quickly answered when something descended from the ceiling, appearing to be a large armored knight with decorative swirly patterns adorning its armor. Its info window confirmed it as the boss, Aquarius the Trance Lord.

"Well, ask a silly question..." Yuuki giggled.

"Spellcasters, activate your resistance spells!" the raid leader shouted, and the group's spellcasters did so, casting a status spell across the whole party that increased their resistance to all status effects by fifty percent.

"All right, if we're all buffed out, let's get to work!" Yuuki shouted, drawing her sword. The raid leader agreed, guiding his party into the thick of battle. Nick and Yuuki weren't far behind, their swords brandished and ready.

Aquarius turned to the raid party and swung its sword so that a wave of energy thundered out towards them. Some of the more defensive members of the raid party moved ahead of the charge so they could tank the attack and allow the others to strike.

Suddenly, a blue wind bolted through the crowd and struck at Aquarius' knee, causing it to drop to its other knee.

Yuuki looked up and saw that the blue wind was actually Asuna, having charged in from behind and struck with a Flashing Penetrator.

"Thanks for the assist, Asuna!" Yuuki exclaimed. She hadn't seen Asuna in the raid party, but figured she must have arrived as fast as she possibly could have to assist the group in the boss fight. She wasn't known as the "Lightning Flash" for nothing, after all.

"No problem, Yuuki!" Asuna replied before unleashing Starry Tear, draining Aquarius' health by a significant chunk.

"I think that's our cue," Yuuki proclaimed, dashing in after Asuna and attacking with Lightning Fall, which made the health bar drain faster that it had earlier.

"Hey, it went down fast!" Yuuki noted.

"I wonder if it has something to do with the boss' attributes," Nick noted, coming in after Yuuki to slash at the boss a few times. "It relies mostly on sleep-based attacks, and lightning is a jolt to the system, as it were, so maybe lightning is its elemental weakness."

"Good thinking!" Yuuki exclaimed, turning back to the rest of the raid party. "Hey, guys! Lightning attacks are the way to go on this one!"

The raid party's spellcasters seemed to get the message, many of them staying back by the gate to safely unleash various lightning attacks while Nick, Yuuki, Asuna, and many other sword-wielders kept to hacking away at close range.

After about fifteen minutes of this, the first health bar (of two, surprisingly) was finally depleted, and Aquarius kneeled down and placed its shield in front of itself. Almost immediately after, the shield began to emit a strange sound.

To the raid team, it seemed to have the effect of putting most of them to sleep, despite the status buff.

"Hypnosis!" Yuuki exclaimed. "That thing's trying to keep us away by using a hypnosis spell!"

"And it looks like the shield has its own health bar," Asuna noted. "So, we have to destroy it before we can move on to the next phase."

"Oh, that's just cheap!" Nick shouted. "Well, let's see how this shield thing stacks up."

Nick dashed over, unleashing an Ars Arcanum on the shield once its spell abated, doing some pretty severe damage with each slash.

"Yeah, how's _that_ on ya?!" Nick challenged, only to hop backwards when the hypnosis spell started up again.

"We need some covering fire here!" Asuna exclaimed.

"I'll take care of this," Yuuki proclaimed, turning back to the raid party, most of whom were still sleeping.

"WAKE UP, YOU LAZY BUMS!" Yuuki shouted, so loudly it echoed throughout the entire boss room, snapping most of the sleeping raid party to attention. "We need covering fire so we can take this shield thing out!"

The spellcasters didn't waste a second, firing off more lightning spells while the healers mended up everyone who had taken significant damage.

Sure enough, after a few more barrages, the shield exploded into light and Aquarius stood up, brandishing its curved blade.

"All right, the final stand! Let's take 'em down!" Yuuki shouted, charging right into the fray and easily dodging around Aquarius' swings before leaping off of Asuna's shoulders to reach Aquarius' chest and unleash Mother's Rosario, dropping the last health bar to about half.

The constant lightning barrage from the raid party didn't let up, battering the boss and slowly but surely chipping away its health.

"Okay, guys, stand back! This one's all mine!" Nick proclaimed, rushing in and unleashing Ragnarok Orbit on Aquarius, delivering the final blow.

Aquarius planted its sword into the 'ground' before kneeling in defeat, exploding into shards of light.

"And another boss goes down!" Yuuki exclaimed, hugging both Nick and Asuna. "We're _unstoppable_ today!"

As the gate to floor thirty-two opened, a message flashed across Yuuki's information window.

"Hey, it's from Kurahashi," Yuuki noted. "Wonder what he wants?"

"Let's go to floor 32's teleport gate and log out, then," Nick replied.

Inwardly, Yuuki wondered what was happening. Kurahashi usually never messaged her while she was inside a game, always waiting until she was back in reality to deliver news.

 _Back in the real world..._

"All right, Kurahashi, what's the scoop?" Yuuki asked once she and Nick returned. "It sounded important, so spill."

"Very well," Kurahashi replied. "This morning, right after you two logged on to ALfheim, I received word from one of our doctors that a probable cure we have been experimenting with has been successful in the labs. We may need a few more days to finalize everything, but we believe the cure to be a resounding success."

Yuuki just stared at Kurahashi, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"You... you found a cure?!" Yuuki exclaimed.

"Yes, Yuuki, we did," Kurahashi replied, noting that Yuuki looked like she was about to cry. "In just a few days, we can most likely administer it to you."

Yuuki didn't know what to say, so Nick said it for her.

"That's _amazing_ , doctor! That means Yuuki will _finally_ be free of this nonsense!" Nick exclaimed, hugging Yuuki tightly.

Yuuki let out a bright smile, tears falling rapidly now.

"Oh, god, I never thought it would happen..." Yuuki sobbed, holding Nick as if her life depended on it. "I never thought I'd live to see this day!"

"See, Yuuki? I _knew_ it was only a matter of time!" Nick replied. "Our motto worked, didn't it?"

Yuuki nodded, drying a few of her tears.

"Oh, wow, I can't wait to tell the Sleeping Knights," Yuuki stated. "This'll _definitely_ help them out, too!"

"Mind you, we'll still need to make sure it works for Yuuki before we can administer the cure to other Medicuboid patients," Kurahashi admitted. "And then there's the matter of mass-producing the cure. But, we believe this will push our research by leaps and bounds."

"I'm just happy that Yuuki's gonna live after all," Nick stated. "She's fought this for so long, and it looks like all that fighting paid off."

"Aiko taught me to never give up, no matter what the situation," Yuuki admitted. "It wasn't in vain, sis... it wasn't in vain after all..."

Nick and Yuuki just held each other for a while, relishing in the wonderful news.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone for a bit," Kurahashi quipped. "No doubt you'd like time to let this sink in."

And so, Kurahashi excused himself from the room, leaving Nick and Yuuki by themselves.

"Oh, Nick, I seriously can't believe it," Yuuki cried. "It all feels like a dream."

"But we're not dreaming, are we?" Nick replied.

"I can't believe god finally answered me," Yuuki noted. Nick remembered that Yuuki's mother had been brought up as a Christian, and had taught Yuuki many of the phrases she used to keep going in life.

"Hey, miracles _can_ happen, right?" Nick responded.

Yuuki leaned over and kissed Nick. "Thank you for being there for me, Nick. I really appreciate everything you've done for me."

"Hey, remember what I said?" Nick stated. "I'll _always_ be by your side, Yuuki, no matter what."

Unable to stop crying, Yuuki simply hugged Nick again.

Meanwhile, a few blocks away from the hospital, who else but Johnny Black could be seen in the shadows of a nearby alley, plotting out his next move.

"Okay, which one do I go after?" Johnny wondered. "Either one of them would be suitable for what I have planned, but the question becomes which one of them would better draw Kirito out?"

A wicked smirk came over Johnny as he sank back into the shadows. Just a little longer, and his revenge against the Black Swordsman would finally be complete.

 _To be continued..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On the next episode...

Yuuki: Just a few more days, and this nightmare will finally be over. I hope mom and dad and Aiko can see how hard I've been fighting.

Nick: I'm sure they'd be extremely proud of you, Yuuki.

Asuna: Hey, guys!

Yuuki: What's up, Asuna?

Asuna: ...I found this note. I'm pretty sure it's addressed to you.

Nick: Wait a minute. That's not a note, is it?

Yuuki: It's worse than I thought, Nick. We have to go stop these nutballs!

Nick: Next time on _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario_ , "The Winds of Change"!

Yuuki: This might be a game, but it's not something you play!


	8. The Winds of Change

"That's amazing, Yuuki!"

It was nighttime on the city of floor 32, Blizzalia. Yuuki had just met up with the Sleeping Knights to let them know what Kurahashi had told her. Naturally, everyone was excited, now knowing that they had a chance to live as well.

"I still can't believe it," Yuuki admitted. "I never thought it would actually happen..."

Nick just smiled, happy that his girlfriend had finally been given a chance.

"Nick, was it?" Siune asked. "Please take good care of Yuuki. She's very special to all of us."

"I've been doing that for at least two years, so there's no way I'm stopping now," Nick quipped.

"Say, Yuuki, how did you and Nick hook up, anyway?" Jun wondered. "I remember you saying you really weren't interested in relationships, because of... well, you know."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too," Yuuki replied. "But I guess that all changed when I met Nick. He was one of the very few people who saw past my condition and saw a girl who just wanted to have friends. I'll admit, I was a little wary when he promised to visit me every day he could. I was still scared back then, but..."

Yuuki beamed proudly at the next thought. "...he never broke that promise."

"I don't _ever_ break my promises," Nick replied. "My parents always liked that about me."

"We'll stick together for as long as it takes," Yuuki proclaimed. "If it has to be forever, then _so be it!_ "

The rest of the Sleeping Knights began to laugh at how cheesy the line sounded, and even Nick couldn't resist chuckling a little.

"Was... the line _really_ that cheesy?" Yuuki wondered.

"Just a little," Nick laughed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Never give up on your dreams, especially if you consider them to be worth fighting for.)

The Blue Time Ranger presents...  
 _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario  
_ Story Created: September 14th, 2015  
Today's Episode: October 2nd, 2015  
Rated: T for Teen

 **Summary:** Nick Kelly and Yuuki Konno have had a rather odd life. With Yuuki constantly in the hospital, Nick has taken it upon himself to care for her, knowing that he may not have much time left with his best friend. However, a series of strange events begin to plague them. Between ALfheim Online where Nick and Yuuki are being stalked by a strange guild, and the real world where rumors are spreading about the return of Death Gun, Nick and Yuuki will have to protect each other with their lives if they hope to survive...

 **On Today's Episode:** With Yuuki only a few days away from finally being rid of her condition, she and Nick decide to celebrate, but it may be too early for jubilation. Johnny Black is still prowling the streets, now indiscriminately killing people to satisfy his demented bloodlust, and when he decides to unleash his final plan to draw Kazuto out and take his revenge, his newest target hits a little _too_ close to home...

 **Timeline Placement** : Though a slight AU to accomodate my OC, this story takes place before the end of the Mother's Rosario arc (Volume 7 of the novels and most of the second half of anime season 2), basically inbetween the time when Asuna reconciled with her mother and... *sniff* no spoilers. *sob* (even though you probably know already).

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own anything related to Sword Art Online. That's Reki Kawahara, not me. Anything I don't own, I am just borrowing. The character of Nick Kelly belongs to me, and he many only be used in your stuff with my permission. (I'll probably always say yes, as long as you don't make him look bad.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 8: The Winds of Change

"Heads up, Yuuki!" Nick exclaimed, slashing out with Freedom Striker to counter the lunge attack the Demon Knight had sent their way.

"This thing just doesn't want to stay down!" Yuuki growled, dancing around the Demon Knight's wild sword swings before cutting into its back with a wide slash attack.

"Let me try something," Siune replied, raising her hands and chanting a spell. Nick's body glowed with a bright silver light and he dashed forward, suddenly a lot faster than before.

Nick took advantage of his speed to dart around like a bullet, landing slash after slash on the Demon Knight and slowly weakening its considerable defenses.

"Oh, yeah, _now_ we've got this thing on the ropes!" Yuuki shouted, rushing in and attacking with a Starry Tear. Asuna had taught Yuuki her own OSS just a few hours before the Sleeping Knights had set out on this journey to clear a field dungeon on floor thirty-two, as a present to celebrate her eventual recovery.

The Demon Knight roared in agony before spinning around to slice Yuuki to ribbons, but Yuuki simply activated her wings and took to the sky.

"Nick! He's wide open! Finish him off!" Yuuki shouted.

"Got it!" Nick replied, dashing forward and taking advantage of his speed buff while he could. He leapt into the air, hopping off of Siune's shoulders to propel him higher. To Yuuki's surprise, Nick also landed on and leaped off of her shoulders as well, giving him enough height to fall down with a final downward strike that cleaved the Demon Knight in half.

"Score!" Jun laughed once the Demon Knight was no more. "That's four knights down, three to go!"

"Definitely didn't expect you to play _double_ leapfrog, Nick," Yuuki giggled.

"Hey, I saw an opportunity and I took it," Nick quipped. "I should probably thank Siune for giving me that speed buff."

Siune just waved.

"All right, let's go find that next knight," Yuuki proclaimed, and the Sleeping Knights marched off through the icy caves to find the next of the remaining three knights.

The trek through the Ice Cavern was mostly silent, save for Jun quipping how cold it was.

"Well, of course it's cold, Jun," Yuuki groaned. "It's called the 'Ice Cavern', and this whole floor is basically an endless winter!"

"Just making an observation," Jun replied, a sweatdrop on his forehead.

Nick suddenly shivered. It seemed the cold was starting to get to him as well.

Yuuki noticed, reaching out to hold Nick's hand.

"Hey, I wouldn't be doing my job as your girlfriend if I didn't help keep you warm in this icebox," Yuuki giggled.

"And I guess I wouldn't be doing _my_ job as your boyfriend if I didn't return the favor," Nick replied, leaning over so they could hug each other.

The tender moment, however, was quickly shattered by a loud rumble that shook through the cavern and even dislodged a few stalagmites.

"W-what the heck was that?!" Jun shouted.

"I've got a feeling it's our next target," Nick replied. "That came from just ahead."

So, the Sleeping Knights carefully made their way to a nearby area, which opened up to reveal an impossibly large arena-like room. Standing in the center of the room was the monster that had caused the rumbles, the Titan Knight. It was armored similarly to the Demon Knight from earlier, only it was at least five times bigger and resembled Chronos.

"Whoa, that thing's big!" Yuuki shouted.

"Yeah, but you know what they say," Nick replied.

Yuuki nodded and drew their swords, causing the Sleeping Knights to ready themselves as well.

"The bigger they are..." Nick started.

"...the harder they fall!" Yuuki finished, she and Nick dashing into the fray with the rest of the Sleeping Knights backing them up.

 _Meanwhile, in Dahngrest..._

"Wow, it's snowing here, too?" Asuna wondered. Gazing at the blanket of snow that had covered the city of Dahngrest. "It's like winter just spread everywhere when we opened up floor 32."

"Ah, that's weather for you, always changing when you least expect it," Kirito quipped.

"Hey! Hey, Kii-bou!"

Kirito and Asuna turned around to see Argo rushing up to them, looking like she was both out of breath and extremely frightened, which, to Kirito, meant something was wrong. Argo never usually looked so frightened.

"What's the matter, Argo?" Kirito asked.

Argo held her hand up to signal that she needed to compose herself for a few seconds before speaking.

"Some weird hooded figure accosted me on floor 27," Argo explained. "I tried to fight him off, but he just gave me a strange note and took off."

"Hooded figure?" Asuna replied. "You think it was Death Gun?"

"All the guy said was 'give this to Kirito'," Argo answered. "I didn't read the note, but I already have a bad feeling about it."

With an uncertain hand, Kirito took the note from Argo and looked over it, his dread growing with each passing second.

By the time he'd finished, Kirito's hands began to shake with rage, while Asuna looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.

"We need to find them," Kirito proclaimed. "We have to find them NOW."

"But... last I heard, they're with the Sleeping Knights on that floor 32 field dungeon!" Asuna responded. "Do you think we have time to get up there before..."

"Damn the torpedoes, Asuna," Kirito responded, drawing both of his swords. "We don't have a single moment to waste."

Asuna just nodded.

 _Please, PLEASE be all right..._ Asuna thought as she followed Kirito and Argo to the teleport gate.

 _Meanwhile, back on Blizzalia..._

"Whew, that was nuts, wasn't it?" Yuuki giggled, the Sleeping Knights exiting the Ice Cavern. "That last knight definitely didn't want to play fair."

"Just count yourself lucky I knew that fire spell, otherwise you'd have been frozen a lot longer," Nick quipped. "Being frozen solid is no fun, let me tell you."

"Tell me about it," Yuuki replied. "Well, we're gonna log out for tonight, guys. It's getting pretty late, after all."

"Yeah, we're gonna call it a night, too," Jun replied. "We spent _hours_ in that place, and quite honestly, I'm exhausted."

"You two have fun now," Siune giggled.

"Oh, jeez, don't start with that!" Nick shouted, visibly flustered. This caused everyone else to burst out laughing.

"Oh, Nick, you know they're just teasing you," Yuuki laughed.

Nick just sighed in defeat, reaching out to hold hands with Yuuki as they logged out together.

Just as the Sleeping Knights were about to march for the teleport gate, Kirito and Asuna rushed up in a panic.

"Where's Yuuki?!" Asuna exclaimed.

"She and her boyfriend just logged out," Jun answered.

"Damn it!" Kirito shouted, swinging Elucidator in frustration. "We may be too late..."

"We have to log out _now_ , Kirito," Asuna replied. "Who knows how much time we have to get there?"

"Hopefully enough," Kirito stated as he and Asuna logged out together, leaving the Sleeping Knights confused.

 _Back in the real world, at the hospital..._

"Ah, that heat feels good..." Yuuki sighed once she and Nick were back to reality. "Spending what felt like hours in an icy cave is not really my idea of spending a winter vacation."

"That kind of cold's really nothing to me," Nick replied. "I'm used to the elements. I mean, for crying out loud, I had to _walk_ to _school_ in a _blizzard_ once!"

"Yeah, sometimes this weather can be really screwy," Yuuki stated.

"I'm just gonna go freshen up and then we can hit the sack, okay, Yuuki?" Nick stated, walking towards the door.

"Hurry back, 'kay?" Yuuki replied, giving a cute look that made Nick blush.

"I'll be back before you can say 'Starburst Stream'," Nick teased, stepping outside to find the washroom. He knew the layout of the hospital pretty well by now, having been here practically every day for the past two years.

While Nick was washing his hands, he heard someone move behind him.

"Oh, hey, doctor," Nick quipped, figuring it was just Kurahashi again.

A flash in the mirror of a black-hooded figure dispelled that thought.

Nick stood rock-still, not knowing what to do.

"Good evening," came the unmistakable voice of Johnny Black.

Nick immediately shifted into a fighting stance, only for Johnny's hand to lash out and strike him in the back of the neck.

Nick twitched, all of his strength leaving him. He turned back, seeing both the sneering face of Johnny Black and the tattoo of Death Gun on his left cheek.

Nick tried to turn around and let Johnny have it, but he couldn't even feel his own body any longer. As he fell into hazy unconsciousness, the last thing he saw was Johnny exiting the room...

...and making a right turn.

Nick futilely reached out, as if attempting to warn Yuuki. All he could say before fainting completely was "Run...".

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A jumble of strange voices.

They sounded frantic.

Nick attempted to regain his strength. First, raising a hand.

Damn it, his vision was still fuzzy.

"Asuna, I found him! I think he's okay!"

That sounded like Kazuto.

"He doesn't look wounded..."

Suddenly, Nick remembered what had happened and his vision was crystalline again.

He immediately shot his hand out to grab Kazuto by the shirt collar.

"Where's Yuuki?!" Nick growled. "What's going on here?!"

"Hey, I don't know what's wrong!" Kazuto gasped. "When we got here, it was complete chaos!"

 _Oh, shit,_ was all Nick could think as he got to his feet and rushed out into the hallway.

At least three doctors and one nurse were all lying on the floor, holes shot clean through their bodies. It was sickening.

But Nick's mind was focused on only one thing.

He rounded the corner to where Yuuki's room was, only to find the door wide open. The cracks in the door indicated that it had been forced open.

Fearing the worst, Nick stepped inside, steeling himself for whatever he would find.

To Nick's surprise, there wasn't a single blood stain anywhere in the room, but there had been a struggle, indicated by the hospital bed that now lay askew.

And on that bed, Nick saw a note.

With slow, cautious steps, Nick walked over to pick up the note, knowing that it was most likely addressed to him.

His hands shaking with a combination of fear and rage, Nick looked over the note.

"W-what does it say?" Asuna asked.

Nick, though still in a panic, proceeded to read the note.

 _You know who this is, I assume. I told you that everyone connected to the Black Swordsman would be killed before I go after him. Now, before you start freaking out, your girl is still alive. I merely kidnapped her to... well, you should know by now. But how much longer she'll be alive is all up to you, boy. I do still wish to feel the joy of killing that Death Gun lets me feel, after all. But, because I feel sorry for you, I'm going to make this fair. Find me at the attached coordinates below. You have until sunrise to make your decision. And be warned, boy. If I see the Black Swordsman anywhere near the location... well, I think you understand what will happen. I look forward to meeting you in person, Kelly. Be there. You wouldn't want to let your girlfriend down, would you?_

Nick's hands began to quiver, almost enough to tear the note in half. Kazuto quickly took it from him to assess the location that Johnny had specified.

"Wait, is this one of the old processing plants?" Kazuto wondered. It had been abandoned for many years alongside the onset of the digital revolution. It made sense, in a rather twisted way, that Death Gun would hide in a place like this.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Kurahashi asked, having rushed up to this floor upon hearing of the chaos in the hospital.

Nick just clenched his fists tightly.

"I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" Nick screamed, swinging his right fist and sending an IV stand crashing to the ground with a loud clanging noise.

Kurahashi quickly noticed the rage that Nick was displaying, and immediately knew that it must have been related to Yuuki.

"Yuuki was kidnapped by Death Gun," Asuna stated, answering Kurahashi's unasked question.

"Death Gun? You mean those hooded maniacs from the news?" Kurahashi answered.

Before any explanations could be made, Nick began to march out of the room, shoving Kurahashi aside in his anger.

"H-hey, where are you going?!" Asuna shouted.

"Where else?!" Nick growled, such fury in his voice that it caused Asuna to take a few steps back from fear of retaliation. "I'm going to that processing plant, and _I am going to tear Johnny Black apart_."

Nick broke into a run before anyone could stop him, dashing down the staircase that seemed to stretch on longer than it had hours ago, before making his way through the large double-doors and out into the star-soaked night.

As he continued to run, his mind kept alternating between thoughts of hoping Yuuki was all right and thoughts of how he was going to murder Johnny Black, possibly with his bare hands.

The growing sound of a motorbike's engine snapped his attention back. Nick stopped on his heel and spun around to see a motorbike approaching him, Kazuto and Asuna riding on it.

 _Probably trying to stop me,_ Nick thought. _Well, I don't care if I'm going to regret this._

The bike stopped just a few yards away, and both Kazuto and Asuna got off as quickly as they possibly could.

"Nick, are you nuts?!" Kazuto proclaimed. "You're not going there alone, are you?!"

"Does it look like I have a choice, Kirigaya?!" Nick shot right back. "I promised Yuuki that I'd always be there for her, and she needs me more than ever now!"

"It's suicidal to go there alone," Kazuto continued. "I'm coming with you. At least you'll have someone to watch your back."

"Out of the question!" Nick snarled. "Didn't you read the note? Johnny will _kill_ her if you're anywhere near that place! I'm not risking that!"

"Nick, _please_ ," Asuna replied, a few tears falling. "We _both_ understand how much Yuuki means to you, but we don't want you to get _yourself_ killed. We'd rather you at least go in prepared. I'm completely sure that Johnny's expecting you to charge in without a plan."

Nick had to admit, Asuna had cornered him there. He didn't even have a weapon to defend himself with.

Wait.

"Kazuto, can we stop by my house?" Nick asked. Kazuto simply nodded, and all three of them hopped on the bike and sped off.

Soon enough, the trio had reached the Kelly household. It was still taped off as a crime scene, but there were no police present. Good.

"What did you want to come back here for?" Asuna wondered.

Nick's answer was simple. "Exactly what I need."

Nick ducked under the yellow-and-black ribbons surrounding the house and made his way inside, with Kazuto and Asuna cautiously following.

Nick stepped through the living room, taking great pains to not look at the wall, where that horrid symbol was still displayed.

After a few minutes, Nick found what he had been looking for.

"A... a safe?" Asuna asked.

"Our weapons safe," Nick replied. "Our house had been broken into a few years back, so dad insisted we keep some of these things safe in case we needed to fight off any attackers."

Nick reached into the safe after opening it and pulled out a combat knife that he clipped to his jean leg. He then went for his father's pistol. Nick's father had once been a member of the local police. "You were right, Asuna. I should at least go in there armed and ready to protect myself."

Just to be sure, Nick drew the knife and swung it a few times, replicating motions he'd performed in ALfheim with his sword. Nick was surprised to see that wielding this knife felt as natural as wielding Freedom Striker in ALfheim did.

"Well, you're no Excalibur, but hey, I'm no King Arthur," Nick quipped, sheathing the knife and the pistol in their respective holsters.

"All right, I think I'm ready," Nick stated.

"We'll take you there," Kazuto stated. "It's the least we can do. We'll try to drop you off far enough away so that Johnny doesn't see us."

" _Please_ be careful," Asuna continued, leaning over to hug Nick. "And bring Yuuki back, okay?"

"She's top priority," Nick replied. "Once Yuuki's safe, Johnny Black is going _down_."

On the inside, though, Asuna was a little concerned with how easily Nick could say something like that. It was almost as if Nick really intended to...

"N-Nick? What, exactly... are you going to do?" Asuna wondered.

"Simple. I'm going to kill him," Nick responded. "He deserves it. The son of a bitch not only killed my family _just because it pleased him_ , and if what I've heard since the funeral is true, Death Gun is going after more SAO survivors now. I understand how you feel about my decision, Asuna, but _I have to do this_. Mom and dad can't rest in peace unless Death Gun is exterminated."

"Is... is there anything _we_ can do?" Kazuto wondered.

Nick looked at the large, rustic grandfather clock that rested in the room. His father had always been a sucker for the classics. "It's midnight now. If I'm not out of there by three, call the police and send them to the processing plant. They should be able to clean up then."

Nick double-checked to make sure everything was in place. His combat knife, his pistol, and the four extra magazines of ammunition. He knew he'd need more than just what was already loaded in the pistol.

"All right. Let's do this," Nick proclaimed, determination spreading through him. "For the memory of my dear parents, for the memory of everyone Death Gun has killed, _this ends tonight._ "

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Well, my dear. Are we comfortable?"

Yuuki slowly opened her eyes, grimacing at the unmistakable voice of Johnny Black. She looked around, noticing that she was now in what appeared to be an abandoned factory. How cliché.

"What do you want from me?" Yuuki proclaimed in a defiant tone, belying the fact that she was scared out of her wits.

"Oh, why, that's very simple, Konno-san," Johnny replied, twirling his Estoc in his hands. "I want to see that boy fall into despair. I promised that everyone connected to Kirito will die, and he is no different."

"He barely even _knows_ Kirigaya-san, you jerk!" Yuuki shouted. "Nick has _nothing_ to do with your little vendetta!"

"Possibly," Johnny stated, a mad grin flashing behind his mask. "But what's the best way to flush out someone you want to kill? It's so simple, you target those associated with them, even if they're not close friends. It _always_ brings the _hero_ running. It's so typical, it's almost a cliché."

Johnny walked closer to the broken-down window of the room they were in. "Kirito put an end to my joy. I will see him suffer for it."

"Why are you even _doing_ this?!" Yuuki growled. "You can't be killing people _just because it pleases you!_ You've _gotta_ have some reason for it!"

Johnny just shook his head. "Sorry, dear, but what you said is the exact truth. I do not kill for any arbitrary reason like revenge or duty."

Before Johnny could continue, he heard the sounds of a motorbike approaching.

"And he arrives," Johnny cackled with mad glee. "The final game is truly set to begin."

Yuuki realized that Nick was most likely going to charge in just to rescue her. And she definitely knew that Johnny would be ready for him. Yuuki didn't dare make a run for it, as she knew Johnny would most likely catch her and do unspeakable things to her. This room wasn't very large, either, with very little space to hide.

 _Please, god, you answered my prayer earlier,_ Yuuki thought. _Please don't let Nick get himself killed, either..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"There it is," Nick quipped. "That's exactly the place."

Kazuto stopped the bike about two blocks from the processing plant so Nick could get off.

"Don't do anything rash in there," Asuna pleaded.

"Don't worry, Asuna," Nick replied. "I'm keeping my guard up while I'm in there. Johnny's _not_ going to get the drop on me."

Re-checking his weapons, Nick turned back to Kazuto and Asuna. "I'll be back. And Yuuki _will_ be with me."

Deciding he didn't need to mince words any longer, Nick charged into the building.

The street was silent for a few seconds, until Kazuto pulled out his cell phone and dialed a specific number.

"Yui, can you hear me?" Kazuto asked.

" _Loud and clear, daddy,"_ Yui's voice responded.

"I need you to track Nick's cell phone signal for me," Kazuto answered. "He just went into the abandoned processing plant on 45th to rescue Yuuki, and Asuna and I want to be sure he'll be okay."

" _I'm on it, daddy!"_ Yui replied, the phone's screen fading to a digital readout of the building with an echoing blip moving into it.

"Thank you, Yui. Can you also get in touch with Kikouka?" Kazuto asked. "This sounds like it could blow up at any second."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nick slipped through the loud steel doors, silently marveling at how typical a place like this would be to a gang of lunatics using it as a hideout.

"This place is gigantic," Nick groaned. "Where do I even start?"

Nick decided to start moving and ask questions later, sneaking through the grimy darkness.

Every now and then, he would glance at his cell phone, which was currently strapped to his shoulder and displayed a digital map of the building. On the ride towards the factory, Nick had agreed to let Yui track his phone signal just in case things went south. Yui had also provided him with a map of the building so he could remember which rooms he had been to and which ones he hadn't.

He almost felt like he was moving through a dungeon in ALfheim, but quickly shook that feeling aside. This was the real world, which meant he had to be more careful than he usually was. Going full-tilt into a situation like this was only going to get him killed.

Peeking around the corner, Nick made sure he had ready access to his weapons before turning to the next pathway.

Nick was honestly surprised that none of Johnny's mooks had jumped him yet, but he knew it wouldn't be long before he was engaged in battle.

Checking his position on the map, Nick crept down the long hallway marked on either side by twisting and curling steel pipes, rusted and corroded from years upon years of inactivity.

At the end of the hallway, a black-hooded figure could be seen patrolling.

 _Crap,_ Nick thought, ducking behind a large pipe to avoid being seen. _Okay, decision time. Do I go back, or do I try to get past him?_

The sound of footsteps approaching snapped Nick to attention. _Oh, no, he's getting closer. Come on, Nick, make a decision or you're going to die!_

When the figure got close enough, Nick made up his mind, jumping out from behind the pipe and drawing his combat knife. The figure only had time to gasp in surprise as Nick lashed out with an overhand swing, leaving a large gash in the figure's shoulder.

"You bastard!" the figure growled, ignoring the pain to charge at Nick.

Nick quickly danced away as best he could, trying to find a way to incapacitate the goon. The figure faltered at the end of his next swing, giving Nick ample time to grab him by the shirt collar and slam him into the concrete wall, knocking him out instantly.

"There. Go choke on that," Nick growled, turning to explore the left hallway.

As Nick continued to explore the factory, he saw many strange machines that weren't familiar to him.

 _What was this factory used for?_ Nick wondered. _It seems like this place used to be going all day long, considering how rusty and dead everything in here looks._

Quickly realizing that questioning the purpose of this place wasn't going to get him anywhere, Nick decided to move on.

The factory seemed to get darker as Nick made his way through. Nick didn't like that. It was almost as if an omen was befalling him.

Nick shook off the feeling and continued down the hallway...

...only for another hooded figure to leap out and grab him in a full nelson.

"Just stop struggling, kid," the figure taunted. "I'll make it nice and easy."

After a few seconds of struggling, Nick raised his arm.

"I'll stop struggling when I'm dead!" Nick shouted, driving his elbow into the figure's crotch, forcing him to release his grip.

Nick took advantage of the few seconds he had by drawing his pistol and firing two shots into the figure's thigh and dropping him to his knees before rushing in and delivering a flying knee to the figure's head, knocking him out cold on the spot.

 _Okay, that's two down. Better not push my luck, though,_ Nick thought as he continued his journey.

Eventually, he came to a room with an inordinate amount of empty boxes stacked high in the corner.

"Probably a storage room," Nick quipped, checking the map.

Just then, the door slammed shut behind him.

"Oh, shit," Nick growled, getting his pistol ready.

"Boy, you don't know how much you've gotten yourself into by coming here."

Nick immediately recognized the voice, gripping his pistol tighter. This was it.

"Johnny Black," Nick growled. "Should I _even_ be surprised?"

"Knowing you, I'd have expected it," Johnny proclaimed, stepping out from the shadows.

"All right, Johnny, you know _exactly_ what I'm here for, so I'm just gonna kindly ask you to cut the shit," Nick proclaimed. _"Where is Yuuki?!"_

Johnny gestured to the side of the room, where Yuuki was slumped in a corner, seemingly unconscious.

"Don't fret your little head off, boy," Johnny cackled. "She's still alive. But for how long, I think would be the better question."

"I swear to every god in the heavens, Johnny, if you put your filthy hands on her again, you'll quickly _lose_ those hands!" Nick screamed, taking aim at Johnny.

"Ah, ah, ah," Johnny taunted. "We wouldn't want you to have _all_ the fun, now, would we?"

With that, Johnny stepped back into the shadows, completely obscuring himself.

 _All right, Nick, time to focus,_ Nick thought, staying as calm as he could so he could listen for Johnny's approach. _You came to get Yuuki out of here, but it looks like it's time to fight._

Nick began to search the area for any sign of Johnny, knowing that only one of them would walk out of this wretched place alive.

 _To be continued..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On the next episode...

Nick: Well, the final showdown is on, it seems. You're not leaving this factory alive, Johnny Black! I'll see to that _personally_.

Johnny: Oh, please do. It's much more interesting to me when they squeam.

Yui: Daddy, I found them!

Kazuto: Perfect! We have to hurry, Asuna, before it's too late!

Asuna: I contacted the police, and they're on the way.

Johnny: You seriously think the police can stop me?

Nick: The cops are the _least_ of your worries right now, you bastard! This game of yours is over, right here and right now! Next time on _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario_ , "The Long-Awaited Final Showdown"!

Yuuki: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	9. The Long-Awaited Final Showdown

Yuuki slowly stirred, wondering what was going on.

She had heard voices after being sent back into unconsciousness, and they sounded like they were fighting.

Opening her eyes slowly, her blurry vision slowly cleared enough to see Johnny Black slipping into the shadows of the room and Nick, holding a pistol, searching for him.

She knew Nick was going to come and save her. He had promised to always be by her side, after all.

But she also knew that Johnny Black had expected that.

She had no idea what to do in a situation like this.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't try. She hadn't survived this long by doing nothing, after all.

As it was now, Nick was keeping his guard up, waiting for Johnny to show himself.

She could hear Johnny's low chuckling, as if he controlled the pace of the battle that was about to erupt.

Yuuki began to assess the situation. What could she do?

As far as Johnny knew, she was still out cold. Maybe she could use that to her advantage.

Yuuki closed her eyes, pretending to be unconscious while tuning out everything but the sounds of the room, to listen for Johnny Black and her chance to do something.

She wasn't going to let Nick go through this alone.

After all, he had promised to always be by her side.

But who said the promise can't go both ways?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Never give up on your dreams, especially if you consider them to be worth fighting for.)

The Blue Time Ranger presents...

 _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario_

Story Created: September 14th, 2015

Today's Episode: October 6th, 2015

Rated: T for Teen

 **Summary:** Nick Kelly and Yuuki Konno have had a rather odd life. With Yuuki constantly in the hospital, Nick has taken it upon himself to care for her, knowing that he may not have much time left with his best friend. However, a series of strange events begin to plague them. Between ALfheim Online where Nick and Yuuki are being stalked by a strange guild, and the real world where rumors are spreading about the return of Death Gun, Nick and Yuuki will have to protect each other with their lives if they hope to survive...

 **On Today's Episode:** Nick faces off with Johnny Black, hoping to put an end to Death Gun and Laughing Coffin once and for all. As the duel continues, the police arrive, called by Kazuto and Kikouka, to round up what remains of the serial killer's organization, but that still leaves Nick in a pickle, as Johnny Black is a fierce opponent. Will Nick have the fortitude to come out of this final showdown with his life?

 **Timeline Placement** : Though a slight AU to accomodate my OC, this story takes place before the end of the Mother's Rosario arc (Volume 7 of the novels and most of the second half of anime season 2), basically inbetween the time when Asuna reconciled with her mother and... *sniff* no spoilers. *sob* (even though you probably know already).

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own anything related to Sword Art Online. That's Reki Kawahara, not me. Anything I don't own, I am just borrowing. The character of Nick Kelly belongs to me, and he many only be used in your stuff with my permission. (I'll probably always say yes, as long as you don't make him look bad.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 9: The Long-Awaited Final Showdown

Nick swept the area with his eyes, hoping to catch some sight of his opponent. Despite feeling confident about coming here, Nick still realized that Johnny held the advantage. Nick could only hope the skills ingrained into his mind from his adventures in ALfheim Online would help him here.

Still, it seemed every one of his senses was betraying him. The smallest sound got him on edge, thinking that Johnny was about to pounce from the shadows.

Though Nick hadn't seen hide nor hair of Johnny since he'd slipped into the darkness, he still held his pistol confidently, knowing that sooner or later, the advantage would belong to Nick.

"You know, Johnny, if you _really_ wanted to fight like a man, you'd stop hiding in the shadows and face me," Nick taunted.

"Oh, but where would the fun be in that?" Johnny replied. Nick spun around, facing where he'd heard the voice. "You know that's not how I take care of business."

"Well, if you're content with hiding in the darkness, then you're nothing but a coward," Nick shot back. "You kill from the shadows because you're too afraid to face your target head-on, like a man."

"You don't know anything about me, boy," Johnny growled. Looks like Nick had hit a sensitive spot.

"Hey, if you can't stand the heat," Nick replied, hoping to bait Johnny into being reckless. "I'm just saying what I feel, that's all. You and the rest of Death Gun can't _stand_ being called out, apparently. It goes to show that you're all nothing but _cowards_ who can't face reality."

Sure enough, Nick heard footsteps approaching, and he knew that Johnny had taken the bait.

"I'll teach you to judge us, boy!" Johnny bellowed, charging from the shadows. Nick was ready for him, drawing his combat knife with his free hand and slashing out at Johnny as he got close, cutting through his cloak and leaving a gash in his arm.

Nick quickly danced away before Johnny could retaliate, reaffirming his grip on his dad's pistol. He wanted this pistol, the one that used to belong to his dad, to be the element that ended the life of Death Gun. He swore to use his father's weapon to put a bullet in Johnny Black's head, and he would see that through.

Johnny growled in frustration before ducking back into the darkness.

"Well?" Nick proclaimed. "Stop being such a spineless coward and get out here!"

Johnny began to laugh at this. "I figure you'd want to come in here after me."

"Yeah, well, I'm not stupid, Johnny," Nick responded. "I'm not about to blow my own advantage."

"We'll see how long that precious advantage of yours lasts, boy," Johnny proclaimed. "Sooner or later, I'm going to shoot a hole right through that concave chest of yours."

Nick just stayed silent, focusing to anticipate Johnny's next move.

After a while, Nick eventually considered playing Johnny's bluff and charging into the darkness to find him, but knew that was still a bad idea, since he wouldn't be able to see as well as he could right now.

So Nick decided to stay rooted to his spot, in order to keep his advantage.

However, Nick knew that sooner or later his advantage would be lost. But, as long as he could, Nick would try to play Johnny and hope he could take him down before then.

Every footstep made Nick anxious, instantly training his gun on where he'd heard the footsteps, only to find nothing there.

Just then, footsteps. Louder this time.

Not wasting a second, Nick fired off a shot. The guttural growl from Johnny and the pained gasp he let out informed Nick that he'd landed his shot.

"Lucky shot, boy," Johnny proclaimed, slinking back into movement again. "You won't be that lucky again."

And so, the strange game of cat and mouse continued. Nick would stand his ground, waiting for Johnny to make a move, and Johnny would continue to stalk through the shadows, hoping to throw Nick off guard long enough to move in for the kill.

Nick knew that this game couldn't go on forever. Soon enough, one side would make a fatal mistake and that would be the chance to end it. The question was which side would make the first, and possibly last, mistake.

Time continued to pass, though Nick could now faintly hear the approaching sounds of police sirens. A quick glance at his cell phone confirmed that it was only one-thirty. Guess Kazuto couldn't wait after all.

"You hear that, Johnny?" Nick shouted. "The cops are on their way. They'll be swarming this place in a few minutes. So either surrender quietly or accept the fact that you're going to die!"

"You really think you're going to kill _me_?!" Johnny shouted, laughing maniacally. "I am the leader of Death Gun! Born from the ashes of Laughing Coffin, my killing spree is only just beginning!"

Nick shook his head. Johnny was nuts, no doubt about that. This battle had to end quickly.

"I will _not_ lose to the likes of you, boy!" Johnny cackled. "You don't know who you're dealing with, apparently. Well, let me remind you!"

A searing pain, like a fireball, ripped through Nick's shoulder, causing him to clutch his wound even as his cell phone came loose from its strap and clattered to the floor.

Another shot rang out, piercing the cell phone's screen and shattering it into pieces.

"This is where your game _ends_ , little man!" Johnny bellowed, uncloaking himself from the darkness and charging at Nick.

Nick barely got his combat knife out in time, only for Johnny to swing his own knife and knock it away, the weapon clattering to the ground a few inches away from the unconscious Yuuki.

Nick didn't even have time to shout the "oh, crap" he was thinking as Johnny pounced and pinned him to the ground by both arms, laughing like a maniac.

"You seriously believed you could outsmart me, boy?" Johnny proclaimed. "You're still just a kid, unsure of his place in this world, with _no idea_ how the real world works! This isn't some world where you can just swing a weapon around and expect to be good with it like your precious ALfheim!"

Nick struggled against Johnny's iron grip. He couldn't use his pistol now, since even though it was still in his hand, both of his arms were pinned down by Johnny.

"This is the price you pay for defying me," Johnny cackled, unsheathing his knife and twirling it in his hand. He wasn't scared of retaliation, because the unpinned arm was the one he'd shot earlier. "This is the price you _all_ will pay for crossing Death Gun!"

 _Crap,_ Nick thought. There was nothing he could do, pinned as he was. _Is this really how it's going to end?_

Yuuki opened her eyes, shocked to see that Johnny had Nick pinned and at his mercy. Her eyes darted downward, seeing that Nick's combat knife had landed just a few inches away from her.

A quick look confirmed that Johnny still hadn't noticed her, wrapped up in his attempts to end Nick's life.

 _Oh, man, what do I do now?!_ Yuuki thought. _If I don't do something fast, Nick's gonna die! I don't want that on my conscience!_

One more look, and Yuuki saw that Johnny's backside was unprotected, leaving him wide open.

Knowing what she had to do, Yuuki stood up, retrieving Nick's knife.

 _I'm only going to get one shot at this,_ Yuuki thought. _Here's hoping it works._

Though her legs were a bit wobbly from how long she'd been out cold, Yuuki steadied herself, gripping the knife tightly.

Two steps back, three.

Deciding that it was now or never, Yuuki charged forward, the knife raised.

Just as Johnny raised his own knife for the killing blow, Yuuki picked up the pace, letting out a loud battle cry.

Johnny only had time to turn his head as Yuuki struck, thrusting the knife forward and driving its blade straight into Johnny's back.

Johnny bellowed in pain and rage, his arms reaching out in a futile effort to take the knife out before it caused him further pain.

Nick looked up, silently relieved to see that Yuuki was okay, before quickly realizing his arms were now free.

 _Now's my chance!_ Nick thought, gripping his pistol tightly and raising it.

Johnny spun his head back, only to see that Nick's pistol was now aiming directly at his forehead. Johnny's expression became one of shock.

"Game over," Nick growled before pulling the trigger.

A loud thunderclap echoed throughout the storage room as the pistol discharged and planted a bullet straight into Johnny's skull, causing his head to snap back from the force of the point-blank shot.

The light faded from Johnny Black's eyes as he swayed for a second before falling to his side, all life fading from his body.

Satisfied, Nick got to his feet, still clutching his wounded shoulder.

Yuuki was already over there, tearing off a piece of her hospital gown so she could wrap Nick's wound.

"Are you okay, Yuuki?" Nick asked.

"I should be asking _you_ that, dummy," Yuuki replied, looking like she was about to start crying any second. "I seriously thought I was going to lose you..."

"Hey, if anything, _I_ should be thanking _you_ , Yuuki," Nick stated, drawing Yuuki's gaze onto his own. "Your quick thinking saved my life _and_ gave me the chance I needed to put him down."

"I... I just wasn't going to sit there and do nothing," Yuuki replied, a few tears falling. "You promised to always protect me, and I wanted to do the same for you."

Yuuki couldn't hold it in anymore, and reached out to hug Nick tightly.

"It's okay, Yuuki," Nick stated, returning Yuuki's embrace. "You saved _both_ of our lives. We're alive, thanks to you."

"That's... all I wanted," Yuuki sobbed.

Nick and Yuuki smiled at each other, leaning in for a kiss.

"Yuuki?! Yuuki, where are you?!" a familiar voice resounded from far away.

"Asuna?!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Asuna, we're in here!"

The door to the storage room was forced open, allowing Kazuto and Asuna to rush in, accompanied by a couple police officers. Asuna immediately ran over to hug Yuuki.

"I was so scared," Asuna admitted. "We lost Nick's cell phone signal, so I was worried something had happened..."

"Well, Johnny got my phone," Nick replied, pointing to the broken remains of his cell phone. "I just got clipped on the shoulder, but otherwise I'm okay."

"Where's Johnny?" Kazuto wondered. Nick just smirked and pointed to the lifeless corpse of Johnny Black.

"He tried to stab me, but Yuuki caught him long enough for me to take him down," Nick proclaimed.

"I'm still shocked I went through with it," Yuuki stated. "But I wasn't just going to let Nick die while I could prevent it."

"She saved _both_ of our lives tonight," Nick replied. "Because of Yuuki, I was able to put an end to Death Gun."

 _Hear that, mom? Dad? Now you guys can finally rest in peace,_ Nick thought.

"We're still rounding up the rest of them," the officer proclaimed. "Most of them thankfully surrendered without too much trouble."

"Wait, officer, Nick's not going to get in trouble for this, is he?" Yuuki asked, suddenly realizing something.

"Though I will admit it was pretty reckless of him to charge into a place like this, knowing what was waiting, we've determined that he acted in self-defense," the officer replied. "So, we won't press charges."

"Oh, thank goodness," Yuuki sighed.

"Hey, I'll admit I can be a bit reckless sometimes," Nick stated. "But after what they did, I wasn't going to let them hurt Yuuki as long as I had the power to do something about it."

"So, is that it?" Yuuki wondered. "Is Death Gun down for good?"

"Yeah. It's finally over," Nick sighed. "Mom and dad can rest in peace now..."

Nick let a few tears fall before Yuuki leaned over to hug him again.

"Hey, I'm sure they'd be proud of you," Yuuki stated. "You avenged not just them, but many other people that fell to Laughing Coffin. _I'd_ definitely be proud of you."

Nick just sighed in relief.

"Okay, what do you say we all get out of here?" Kazuto stated. "We have to get you back to the hospital after all, Yuuki. You _do_ have a very important procedure tomorrow, right?"

"Oh, jeez, I almost forgot!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Let's just hope those guys are doing all right. It was quite a mess when Johnny waltzed in..."

"I'll walk her back, if that's okay, Kazuto," Nick stated. "That bike of yours is really only good for two people. I can't count how many times I almost fell off on the way here..."

"Besides, you guys have school in the morning, don't you?" Yuuki quipped.

"Oh, crap, you're right! Sugu's gonna let me have it if she finds out I stayed up this late again!" Kazuto exclaimed, to which everyone burst out laughing.

After Kazuto and Asuna had taken off and the police finished rounding up what remained of Death Gun, Nick and Yuuki began their trek back to the hospital.

"It's so pretty out here," Yuuki quipped, looking up at the sky. Not a single cloud could be seen, which meant the stars could shine in full force.

"Nights like this are definitely something to treasure," Nick replied.

"Hey, Nick?"

Nick turned around, only for Yuuki to kiss him.

"That's for coming to save me," Yuuki giggled. "It was very sweet of you."

"Hey, even if I know damn well that you can handle yourself, I'm not going to let you get hurt or worse while I can prevent it," Nick answered. "Part of my promise, after all."

"I know. You haven't broken it yet," Yuuki stated.

"And I don't _intend_ to break it," Nick replied.

Yuuki suddenly started laughing, leaving Nick to wonder what was so funny.

"Was... was that line _really_ that cheesy?" Nick wondered.

"I don't know what it is about the way you say those lines, but it's so hilarious!" Yuuki laughed.

"I think ALfheim's getting to me," Nick groaned. "I never used to be so cheesy with my lines..."

"Say, Nick?" Yuuki asked. "I've never asked this before, but... how did you start playing VRMMOs? You know _my_ story, but I don't know _yours_."

"Well, to be honest, we were all a little wary for a while, especially in the aftermath of Sword Art Online," Nick explained. "But then, when the Amusphere came out with its _much_ better security features, I figured I'd give it a shot. Mom and dad were still concerned, but they relented when I showed them the specs of the Amusphere, and they realized it'd be impossible for the Amusphere to fry your brain since it uses _very_ low amounts of microwaves. I'd always been fond of fairy tales, so I figured ALfheim Online was perfect for my first shot."

"I heard about the fallout from that," Yuuki continued. "It must have been crazy once everyone finally got out."

Yuuki subconsciously recalled a dream she'd had not too long ago, where she'd met Kirito inside of Sword Art Online just as it was about to collapse and had requested a duel with him, to see if was really as strong as he claimed to be.

Yuuki then grinned. "And, if I remember correctly, I was the one who introduced you to ALfheim."

Nick suddenly gasped at a memory. Around a month after Yuuki had been admitted to the hospital, she had shown him the games installed on her Medicuboid, one of them being ALfheim Online.

"From what I can recall, you're kinda picky about your games," Yuuki teased.

"Well, there's certain kinds of games I'm just not good at, and those problems would probably be extremely accentuated in a virtual world," Nick admitted. "That's one of the main reasons I don't play Gun Gale Online, because... I'm horrible at shooters. Always have been."

"Maybe Sinon could teach you how to do it," Yuuki replied. "She _is_ the best gunner in that game, after all."

"If I could pull her away from ALfheim, I'd probably give it a shot," Nick quipped.

"So, what other kinds of games do you like?" Yuuki asked.

"Well, I'm mostly into adventure-type games," Nick continued, reaching out to hold Yuuki's hand. "Even though I grew up in a time where RPGs and shooters were all the rage, none of it really clicked with me until the whole VR shtick. I was always a fan of games that strayed away from their intended type, like action RPGs. Now _those_ were fun, because you weren't just playing as a stationary dude and using menus to tell him what attack to use or what spell to cast, you had _full control_ over the dude and could basically make him do whatever weird attack you wanted him to do."

"Guess that's one of the reasons SAO was so hyped," Yuuki realized. "Because of the whole full-dive thing basically bringing you into the game and letting you do all the crazy sword attacks yourself."

"I also like to play a lot of platformers," Nick stated. "Even though a lot of the ones I play are practically ancient by today's standards, there's just something about them that grabs me, you know? It's just how intricately they were crafted that just makes them a blast to play, even in today's virtual takeover."

"Never took you to be an old school enthusiast," Yuuki giggled.

"Hey, in my opinion, classics never go out of style," Nick stated. "More people just need to give it a chance, is all. With how far technology's advanced, games like that seem to be becoming nothing more than a footnote in history, and that's really sad. Maybe they could remake some of those old-school games as VR games, then we'd truly get a taste of the past!"

Yuuki just nodded, knowing that Nick liked to get a bit preachy when it came to preserving relics of the past.

Before long, the pair had made it back to the hospital, surprised to find that police were still parked by the building. No doubt they were there to calm the people who had been shocked by Johnny Black's break-in.

Nick and Yuuki ducked under the police tape surrounding the door and stepped back inside.

"Yuuki! Oh, thank everything you're all right," Kurahashi stated, rushing up to Nick and Yuuki the instant he saw them. "I heard the police going by and I thought something bad had happened.

"Well, I have a slight clip on my shoulder, but otherwise I'll be okay. Yuuki bandaged me up on the way back," Nick explained, gesturing to the wrapped spot on his shoulder. "But I have good news, doc. Death Gun is finished."

"Nick stormed the fortress just to save me!" Yuuki exclaimed. "You should have seen him, Kurahashi, he was amazing!"

"And I personally put a bullet in Johnny Black's head, so that's the end of this story," Nick replied. "With my father's own pistol. Kinda poetic, right?"

"Well, it seems you two have had quite the night," Kurahashi stated. "Now how about we get you to bed?"

"Are we still going through with the procedure tomorrow, doctor?" Yuuki asked.

"We should be," Kurahashi answered. "Johnny didn't cause too much chaos, and all of our equipment is intact."

"Really?" Yuuki gasped. "I'd think he'd want to cause more chaos than just kidnapping me."

"Maybe that's all he really wanted, because he knew I'd come after him if he did," Nick quipped. "Remember, he just wanted to draw me out, and consider this. If he _did_ start smashing everything up just to get through, someone would have called the cops on him and forced him to flee before he could complete his objective."

"Oh, so he opted for the silent approach?" Yuuki noted. "Makes sense, if you think about it."

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired, after all," Nick replied. "And I'd really like to get my shoulder to stop burning..."

"Well, you two go ahead and get some sleep, and we'll patch you up in the morning before school," Kurahashi proclaimed.

"Sounds like a plan to me, doc," Yuuki yawned.

As the sounds of police sirens faded into the night, Nick and Yuuki walked back up to their shared room, trading a few yawns along the way.

"You can tell how tired I am, huh?" Nick stated. "Because that exhaustion just now seemed to catch up with me..."

"Yeah, I feel the same way," Yuuki sighed. "Let's just hit the hay, already, before I fall asleep right here."

Not even bothering to switch to their pajamas, Nick and Yuuki fixed the bed before climbing into it together. It didn't take even three minutes for the two to finally fall asleep, drained from the night's events.

But Yuuki had a big smile on her face, glad to be a part of someone's life despite her condition.

A condition she would hopefully be free from soon.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Wow, I haven't slept that well in _ages_ ," Yuuki giggled the next morning.

"It helps that we did a lot last night," Nick replied.

"Hey, if you're up to it later, do you wanna check out floor 32? I hear there's a really cool underwater area up there," Yuuki asked. "Jun just sent me a message about it, so I figured we could all party up and check it out!"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Nick replied, only to be cut off from his next thought by the door opening and Kurahashi walking in.

"It's good to see you two awake," Kurahashi proclaimed. The madness from the previous night had faded, and the hospital was back in working condition. "As I'm sure you're aware, Yuuki, the other doctors wanted to begin the procedure as soon as you were awake and ready for it."

"I wish I could be here, but I've got school to get to," Nick replied. "But promise me you'll keep me up to date, Kurahashi. Got it?"

"Don't worry," Kurahashi stated, a little apprehensive of how serious Nick had just been. "If anything happens, you'll be the first to know."

Yuuki sat up, stretching her arms before giving Nick one more hug. "You have fun at school today, okay?"

Nick nodded, kissing Yuuki on the cheek. "You'll make it through this. You're stronger than any of us."

"Oh, I'm not _that_ strong," Yuuki giggled.

"Yes, you are, Yuuki," Nick retorted. "You've been through all kinds of hell in your life, and no matter what happened, you kept on fighting. You fought for your chance to enjoy life no matter what life decided to throw at you. The people who suffer through adversity and still face life head-on, no matter how small the step is, are always the strongest people."

Yuuki had to hold back tears at what Nick was saying. She threw her arms around Nick again, letting a few tears fall.

"God, Nick, you're just such a sweetheart to me," Yuuki stated.

"Hey, I never say anything I don't mean," Nick replied. "Just remember that, Yuuki. You're stronger than anyone I know."

With that, Nick left for school, making sure his phone was active (he had been given one of Kazuto's old ones until he had enough to buy one of his own) so he could stay up to date.

But, try as he might, Nick just couldn't focus in his classes. It was as if his mind couldn't stay on anything else but Yuuki's condition.

 _Nick, remember, she's got some of the best doctors in this country looking after her,_ Nick thought, mentally shaking cobwebs from his mind. _But why can't I get my mind off what might happen?_

Nick probably realized it was most likely due to last night's battle with Death Gun. He had worried so much about what Johnny Black might have done to Yuuki that all he could think of was finding Johnny and killing him.

 _Fear and desperation can drive people to do many things,_ Nick thought.

Around lunch time, Nick's temporary phone began to ring. Now curious, Nick answered it quickly. "Doctor, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me. I'm calling to let you know of Yuuki's condition."

"How is she, doctor?"

"The procedure is finished, and she's sedated, but she appears to be okay," Kurahashi answered. "We'll check her out once she's awakened to see if it worked or not, but we should have an answer for you by the time your school lets out."

"Here's hoping," Nick responded. "She really deserves to be happy."

As Nick walked out of school for the day, he heard a very familiar motorbike approaching. Sure enough, he turned around to see Kazuto riding up.

"Is Yuuki doing okay?" Kazuto asked.

"She just got done with her procedure," Nick answered. "They're checking her out to be sure if it worked, and I'm actually on my way there to see for myself."

"How about I give you a ride?" Kazuto offered. "You seem pretty fidgety about this, after all."

"Oh, don't start," Nick groaned, just making Kazuto laugh.

Once at the hospital, Nick made sure to steel his nerves. He didn't know why he was being so paranoid.

 _Jeez, get it together,_ Nick reprimanded himself.

As they entered the hospital lobby, Kurahashi could be seen pacing around the room, apparently waiting for someone.

"Hey, doc," Nick quipped, catching Kurahashi's attention.

"Oh, Nick, you're here," Kurahashi proclaimed.

"Look, doc, I'm not really in the mood for a long-winded explanation, so I'll have to kindly ask you to cut to the chase," Nick interrupted. "How is she doing?"

"Well, we checked everywhere possible a few times over, and it appears that..."

Though Kurahashi's statement only came a second later, it felt like forever to Nick, the response just hanging in the air.

"...the operation was a complete success."

And just like that, all of Nick's fear and paranoia melted away, and he couldn't resist shouting in triumph.

"I could imagine you'd be excited," Kurahashi replied. "Yuuki feels happy about it too, to be be the first person to get the cure for AIDS. Mind you, now we have to figure out how to mass-produce it before it can be shipped anywhere else in the world, but this is already a quantum leap for our practice."

"I bet she's just happy to help out," Nick stated. "Doc, is it okay if I go see her?"

"You may and should," Kurahashi responded. "She already misses you."

That was all the reason Nick needed to charge up the staircase to Yuuki's floor, leaving a rather flustered Kazuto behind.

Once he reached Yuuki's room, he put on a smile and let himself in.

She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"Yuuki?" Nick asked. "You awake?"

Yuuki slowly sat up, opening her eyes so she could see Nick coming in.

"Hi, Nick."

 _To be concluded..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On the next episode...

Yuuki: Nick, do you understand how happy I am right now?

Nick: Of course I do, Yuuki! You finally beat something that everyone thought was unbeatable! And next time, I'm personally taking you on that quest as a reward for pulling through this.

Yuuki: We _are_ taking the Sleeping Knights, right? I promised them, after all.

Nick: Hey, we're gonna find what the deal is with these underwater ruins. I'm pretty sure there's something there.

Yuuki: I'm more curious why it's showed up now, of all times. Did part of that river dry up since SAO?

Nick: Well, I guess we're going to find out soon enough. Next time on the final episode of _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario_ , "To Last a Lifetime"!

Yuuki: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	10. Towards the Everlasting Tomorrow

Yuuki opened her eyes when she heard movement. She had been sleeping pretty lightly since the sedative had worn off, mostly because she was too excited.

Finally, she was free of the curse that had taken the rest of her family.

No longer would she have to worry about her impending doom.

And, best of all, that meant she could finally live out her life with the people she loved.

Yuuki's thoughts then drifted to Nick. Over the two years they'd known each other, their relationship had grown pretty quickly.

She was just glad to have a friend, someone that didn't mock her just because she had AIDS. She had actually been quite flattered when Nick had promised to always be by her side.

But when had she fallen in love with him?

Yuuki thought back, and realized that it had most likely been shortly after she'd been admitted to the hospital. She'd been worried that Nick wouldn't understand why she had to stay here.

But bless his heart, Nick had stayed extremely supportive, promising to visit her every day he was able to, a promise he hadn't yet broken.

Even on holidays where he'd normally spend time with his family, he had made arrangements to still be able to visit Yuuki, even if it was just to give her the gift he'd picked out.

That must have been it.

And now, Nick was entering the room, looking like he was about to drop from exhaustion. Poor kid probably almost had a panic attack being unable to keep his mind off of her procedure.

"Yuuki? You awake?"

Now fully awakened, Yuuki sat up on the bed, looking over at the boy who had captured her heart.

"Hi, Nick."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Never give up on your dreams, especially if you consider them to be worth fighting for.)

The Blue Time Ranger presents...  
 _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario  
_ Story Created: September 14th, 2015  
Today's Episode: October 9th, 2015  
Rated: T for Teen

 **Summary:** Nick Kelly and Yuuki Konno have had a rather odd life. With Yuuki constantly in the hospital, Nick has taken it upon himself to care for her, knowing that he may not have much time left with his best friend. However, a series of strange events begin to plague them. Between ALfheim Online where Nick and Yuuki are being stalked by a strange guild, and the real world where rumors are spreading about the return of Death Gun, Nick and Yuuki will have to protect each other with their lives if they hope to survive...

 **On Today's Episode:** Nick and Yuuki reunite in the real world, with Yuuki no longer suffering from her condition. To celebrate, the Sleeping Knights decide to explore a strange underwater palace on floor thirty-two while Nick and Yuuki speculate about the future and their place in it...

 **Timeline Placement** : Though a slight AU to accomodate my OC, this story takes place before the end of the Mother's Rosario arc (Volume 7 of the novels and most of the second half of anime season 2), basically inbetween the time when Asuna reconciled with her mother and... *sniff* no spoilers. *sob* (even though you probably know already).

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own anything related to Sword Art Online. That's Reki Kawahara, not me. Anything I don't own, I am just borrowing. The character of Nick Kelly belongs to me, and he many only be used in your stuff with my permission. (I'll probably always say yes, as long as you don't make him look bad.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 10: Towards the Everlasting Tomorrow (final episode)

"You look just as radiant as ever, Yuuki," Nick quipped, which easily made Yuuki blush.

"Oh, _stop_ ," Yuuki giggled. "I don't wanna look like a tomato already."

"So, how's it feel to finally be free?" Nick asked.

"Oh, Nick, I can't even begin to describe it," Yuuki stated, hugging Nick the instant he got close enough. "It's just like my mom said; god would never put us through all this suffering if he didn't think we could bear it. I never gave up hope, no matter what happened. And my prayers were finally answered!"

"See, Yuuki? You're stronger than anyone I know," Nick repeated, mirroring what he'd told her earlier today. "You never lost hope. You kept on fighting. You strived for a chance. And it all paid off in the end."

"I just... I still can't believe it," Yuuki gasped. "I guess I had just accepted the fact that I wouldn't be long for this world. It all seems so surreal when you stop and think about it hard enough."

"Well, that's life, basically," Nick replied. "You take what you get and you run with it. Well, that's _my_ philosophy, at any rate."

Nick looked out the nearby window. "Life is strange that way, Yuuki. I've known that for _years_."

"I'm just glad this nightmare's finally over," Yuuki sighed. "These past few weeks have been unbelievably nuts, haven't they?"

"No kidding," Nick replied. "Hey, Yuuki, do you feel up to going to ALfheim today? I think the Sleeping Knights want to take us to that underwater palace to celebrate your recovery."

"Oh, sure! I feel great! Sleepy, but I'll be okay!" Yuuki replied, looking up at the Medicuboid that had been her portal to the virtual world for so long, the very device that had enabled her to keep living her life even when she knew she wouldn't have much of it left.

 _Thank you, my old friend, for all you've done for me,_ Yuuki thought. "So, where are we going to meet?"

"They want us to meet up at Dahngrest so we can discuss how we're going to tackle this place, then we're heading up to floor thirty-two to actually find the thing," Nick explained, digging through his backpack to procure his Amusphere.

"Roger that. See you on the other side," Yuuki proclaimed, reaching up to don the Medicuboid. _One more time..._

 _Floor 32, Blizzalia, the Underwater Ruins..._

"All right, guys, how do we do this?" Jun asked once the Sleeping Knights had reached the underwater ruins. "If the palace really _is_ underwater, how do we get there? Is swimming even _possible_ in this game?"

"I think it was included in the recent game update," Nick explained, recalling what the update logs had stated. "It's supposed to be similar to flying, except you can't really go as fast as you can when flying."

"You'd probably have to able to swim if you wanted to go down there," Yuuki answered. "It's probably the reason the game devs added a swimming mechanic to the game, so we can explore places like this."

Nick looked around, taking in all the sights of the Seafloor Palace, as the ruins were officially called, before noticing that Argo was standing nearby, overlooking the palace.

"Hey, now, maybe we can still get some information," Nick stated. "Hey, Argo!"

The blonde Cait Sith looked over, smiling as she recognized Nick from their journey into the Hollow Area.

"Hey there!" Argo laughed, dashing over to the Sleeping Knights. "I assume you guys are here to explore the Seafloor Palace?"

"Sure enough," Nick replied. "Is there anything you can tell us about it? You know, so we can go in at least somewhat prepared?"

Argo smiled, almost cat-like. "I might."

"How much is it gonna cost me?" Nick asked, knowing how Argo worked as an information broker. The two of them had struck up quite the chat during their journey through the Hollow Area.

Argo opened a status window with a flick of her finger. "About this much. First-time customer discount, after all."

"Sounds good to me," Nick replied, opening a trade window so he could pay Argo the requested amount. Once the trade was finished, Argo looked back at the Seafloor Palace.

"Okay, according to what I've learned, this place is based somewhat on the Atlantis myth," Argo explained. "This place was supposed to be part of an ancient civilization that got banished to the bottom of the sea when its inhabitants angered the gods. Legend says there's a supremely rare item in that palace, guarded by one of the citizens of the civilization who dedicated his life to protecting the treasure, so much so that he basically cast off his humanity to guard the treasure from interlopers."

"Sounds like that guy might be the boss waiting for us," Nick replied.

"I hope that was helpful to you guys," Argo giggled.

"That'll _definitely_ help us out in the long run," Nick replied. "Thanks a bunch, Argo!"

Argo simply waved as she exited the scene, most likely to find Kirito.

"Well, what are we waiting for, guys?" Yuuki proclaimed. "Let's dive!"

The Sleeping Knights all took a few steps back, then rushed forward full tilt, diving into the deep lake surrounding the Seafloor Palace together.

After a few seconds, everyone decided to swim around for a bit, mainly to get used to the unfamiliar game mechanic.

"You okay, Nick?" Yuuki asked. The Sleeping Knights had been savvy enough to buy scuba masks and extra equipment in Dahngrest that would allow them to communicate while underwater.

"This is why I wish I had a better instructor at school," Nick groaned. "I'm _horrible_ at this!"

Yuuki just smiled and extended her hand to Nick, who gladly took it so Yuuki could walk him through the basics of the swimming function. Apparently, Yuuki was a rather fast learner.

As the group continued to teach themselves how to swim, a large monster began to approach them, fluidly gliding through the water.

"Monster incoming!" Jun shouted.

"This one's mine," Yuuki proclaimed, kicking her feet out and swimming out to meet the monster head-on. When she was close enough, Yuuki spun around in a flying somersault, her spinning blade bisecting the monster before it exploded into shards of light.

"That thing _definitely_ does not belong here!" Nick exclaimed. "I expected to fight sharks and krakens, not whatever the hell _that_ thing was!"

"Maybe the boss of this place is summoning them to keep us out?" Siune pondered.

"In that case, he'll definitely have to try harder than just a simple monster!" Nick shouted.

Almost on cue, as if some unearthly force had been anticipating it, numerous barnacle-laden tentacles emerged from the seafloor and began to lash out at the Sleeping Knights.

"I just _had_ to open my mouth," Nick growled as he unsheathed Freedom Striker and set to work on repelling the numerous tentacles of the Armored Kraken.

After hacking away at the tentacles for a period of time, the Armored Kraken eventually pushed its way through the seafloor, revealing its suitably armored body.

"I have a feeling we're not gonna get anywhere unless we get rid of that armor," Yuuki noted.

"I'll take care of that for ya," Nick replied as he began to swim forward, dodging a few lashing tentacles until he reached the Armored Kraken's head.

"Hey, buddy," Nick taunted. "Do you mind if I cut off that armor?"

The Armored Kraken just roared loudly.

"Yeah, thought so," Nick responded, going to work and hacking away at the armor for a bit before transitioning to an Ars Arcanum that made short work of the armor's health bar, causing it to shatter into pieces and reveal the Kraken's ruby-red body.

"All right, guys, it's vulnerable! Let 'em have it!" Nick shouted, only to be knocked for a loop as one of the Kraken's tentacles thundered out and struck Nick in the chest.

Yuuki growled angrily at this, gliding through the water and unleashing her Ethereal Blades spell at point-blank range, leaving visible gashes where the dark crescent blades had torn into the Kraken.

Quickly drawing her sword and slashing outwards with it to lop off two tentacles coming her way, Yuuki unleashed Mother's Rosario with all of her fury, easily emptying the Kraken's health bar.

The Kraken gurgled loudly before exploding into shards of light.

"You okay, Nick?" Yuuki asked as Siune used her healing spell.

"Let's not fight those things too much," Nick groaned, only for Yuuki to hug him tightly.

"I'd kiss you right now if we didn't have these gaudy scuba masks on," Yuuki giggled.

"There it is, guys!" Jun exclaimed, pointing at what appeared to be an entrance to the Seafloor Palace. "Dungeon dead ahead!"

The Sleeping Knights began to swim faster, eventually coming up for air inside the palace.

"Well, this is interesting," Yuuki quipped, noticing that the layout of the palace interior resembled a medieval castle with an extremely long set of stairs that led to the very top floor. "Guess it's all upstairs from here."

"Ugh, I HATE climbing these long towers," Nick groaned.

"We may as well get going," Yuuki stated. "Mister big boss isn't going to come to us, after all."

So, the group began to climb the long stairway to the top of the tower, where the boss of the Seafloor Palace lied in wait.

About halfway through the long climb, Yuuki realized something she hadn't thought of before.

"Hey, Nick?"

"What's up, Yuuki?"

Yuuki scratched her head in confusion. "I just thought of something... where are we gonna live now once I get discharged from the hospital?"

Nick perked up, realizing the obviousness of that thought.

"I mean, both of our families aren't with us anymore, so that leaves us in a bit of a pickle..." Yuuki noted.

"...about that," Nick replied. "Yuuki, if it's not too much trouble... would you mind sharing an apartment with me?"

"W-wh-what?!" Yuuki gasped. "We have our own place now?!"

"Yeah, my aunt and uncle decided to help me out with that," Nick explained. "They figured I'm old enough now to have a place of my own, and that you'd be the best possible choice for a roommate."

Yuuki had actually spoken to Nick's aunt and uncle at his mother's funeral. She'd grown to like them quickly because of how supportive they were of both her and Nick through the entire deal.

"We'll move on in life together. It sounds like a pretty sweet deal, if you ask me," Nick continued. "So, what do you say, Yuuki?"

"Oh, Nick, I'd love to!" Yuuki shouted, throwing herself at Nick.

"Hey, you two, we don't really have time for you to be all lovey-dovey," Jun groaned. "Save it for after we beat this boss!"

"Jun, he's my boyfriend, so I can be as lovey-dovey as I want!" Yuuki shouted, visibly flustered.

"Sorry to say it, Jun, but she's got a valid point," Nick interjected, causing the rest of the Sleeping Knights to start laughing.

Even still, the Sleeping Knights refocused their efforts on climbing the last few floors of the tower, knowing they were close to the boss.

"Are we done with these stupid stairs yet?!" Nick groaned. "We must have climbed at _least_ thirty floors of this!"

Nick's prayers were finally answered when a large gate showed up ahead, no doubt the gateway to the boss's lair.

"Okay, Sleeping Knights, let's go defeat this boss!" Jun exclaimed.

"Um, Jun I think that was supposed to be _my_ line," Yuuki shot back, pushing the gate open and entering the boss room.

Almost immediately, Yuuki was worried.

The boss room was nothing but a purple-and-red swirling, black hole-like vortex with no visible floor. It reminded Yuuki too much of the battle with PoH in the Hollow Area.

"Um, Nick?" Yuuki asked.

"Yeah, the resemblance is uncanny," Nick replied, drawing Freedom Striker and holding it aloft. "But I'm pretty sure the devs just like the visual effect. Remember, Death Gun is finished. Johnny and PoH are dead, and all their mooks are in police custody. We don't have to worry about them anymore."

"That's a load off of my mind, honestly," Yuuki sighed as the rest of the Sleeping Knights walked in to the room.

Once everyone was inside, the gateway dissolved and something began to float down from the sky.

"Here it comes, everyone!" Siune exclaimed, casting buff spells on the entire party.

"Wait, _that_ thing's supposed to be the boss?" Yuuki quipped, not at all convinced. The boss monster appeared to be nothing more than a parasitic, bug-type monster about Yuuki's size. "I'm not convinced. Let me have a whack at it."

But, as Yuuki charged for the monster, its many small legs twitched, surrounding it with energy.

"Yuuki, get back!" Nick shouted too late, as the parasite flipped around before unleashing a strong ring of energy at Yuuki, sending her flying back into Nick's arms.

"Owwww..." Yuuki groaned.

"There, now don't you feel silly?" Nick teased.

"I guess I asked for that one..." Yuuki quipped, getting back to her feet so she could check the boss's information.

According to the info window, the boss was named Parasyte, Dreamer of the Faith. It had three health bars and an elemental affinity for electricity.

"Interesting name," Yuuki stated. "But I don't think we're here to compliment boss names. Sleeping Knights, let's take this sucker down!"

That was all that needed to be said as the Sleeping Knights charged for Parasyte.

The boss retaliated almost instantly, flinging bolts of lightning every which way and forcing the less magic-resistant members of the Sleeping Knights to fall back.

"He's trying to separate us!" Yuuki shouted.

"You know what that means," Nick proclaimed. "Let's pour it on!"

Nick equipped Dreamcloud and rushed, glad that his own elemental affinity was the same as the boss's, so he could tank any lightning attacks if necessary.

Oddly enough, Parasyte continued to fire lightning attacks one by one at Nick, only for him to swing Freedom Striker and absorb the electricity.

"Okay, is it me, or is this boss kinda... dumb?" Nick quipped, lashing out with an Ars Arcanum and dropping the first health bar to its halfway point. "He just keeps attacking me with lightning spells when it should be obvious that I have the same elemental affinity!"

Yuuki stepped up, chanting a spell to unleash her Ethereal Blades on Parasyte, driving it back. The bug-like creature simply floated back and shot a bolt of lightning into the air, causing thunderbolts to rain down from the sky.

"Okay, I'm getting sick of this constant thunder nonsense," Nick growled, powering through the storm of bolts and hitting Parasyte with a Whirling Curtain, depleting the first health bar.

Parasyte gurgled loudly, an inhuman crackling laugh, before small lightning blades unfurled from each of its legs.

"Okay, now we're talking!" Nick shouted, dashing in to duel with Parasyte, swinging his sword wherever he could inflict damage while avoiding the many smaller blades coming at him.

This strange duel continued for a while, neither side seeming to gain the upper hand.

"Nick, incoming!" Siune shouted, casting a speed buff on Nick like she had back in the Ice Cavern. Nick felt his sword swings began to speed up bit by bit until he was visibly outstripping Parasyte, even with the multiple blades it possessed.

After a while of this, Nick leaped into the air and came down with a new sword skill he'd learned the other day, Shock Impact, slamming Freedom Striker into the ground so hard that it created a shockwave that sent Parasyte bouncing around the arena, its second health bar down to nothing.

"All right, guys, just one to go!" Nick exclaimed.

Parasyte roared in rage, electricity converging around it to form gigantic electric claws.

"Seriously, why is it still using electrical attacks?" Jun groaned. "It should know by now that lightning isn't working on us!"

Suddenly, Nick had a thought. "Wait, remember what Argo said? This guy basically cast off his humanity to become this. Maybe that's all it is. He's running on nothing but primal instinct. Maybe he doesn't even know what he's doing anymore."

"Well, no wonder he keeps trying the same thing over and over," Yuuki quipped. "He literally can't think for himself. Well, then what do you say we put this poor jerk out of his misery?"

With that, the Sleeping Knights charged in, all attacking at once while avoiding Parasyte's claws as best they could.

With the multi-directional barrage going on, Parasyte simply couldn't break free, its final health bar dwindling fast.

"All right, guys, this one's mine!" Yuuki shouted, rushing at the dazed boss monster. Yuuki readied her weapon and stabbed outwards five times, creating a horizontal line down Parasyte's body. Yuuki spun around and stabbed out five more times, creating another line going the opposite way, both lines forming a sort of X. Finally, Yuuki reared back and thrust her sword forward with a loud battle cry, driving the point of her blade straight into the center of the X she'd formed with her earlier sword stabs. Purple light exploded from Parasyte's body as it screamed in pain, its echoing voice warbling like a badly tuned radio as its body twitched and its health bar drained completely.

Little wisps of multi-colored light exploded from Parasyte's body before it froze and shattered into shards of light.

"Oh, yeah!" Yuuki shouted. "That's how _we_ take care of business!"

Just then, the background began to shift, changing from a purple-and-red swirling, black hole-like vortex into a dark blue void with a crystal platform that the Sleeping Knights were suddenly standing on.

"Ooooookay..." Yuuki quipped. "Now what's happening?"

"Well met, brave fairy warriors."

The Sleeping Knights looked up to the sky of the void, where a goddess-like figure could now be seen descending. In appearance, she appeared to be around Siune's age, with long, flowing golden hair and blue eyes.

"Well, this wasn't in the manual," Nick noted.

"I thank you for setting one of my people free," the goddess proclaimed. "I am the goddess Yunalesca, keeper of peace in this ancient land."

"Wait, set him free?" Yuuki wondered. "Mind if I ask what's going on?"

"Many eons ago, the people of our land were guarding a very important treasure," Yunalesca explained. "But when the land went to war, we feared for the safety of our treasure. Considering that it has enough power to wipe out an entire continent, our citizens were very concerned that the warring nations would lay hands on this power and use it for unspeakable evil."

"That'll definitely ruin your day," Jun quipped.

"Okay, so what happened after that?" Nick asked.

"Six of our peoples' most powerful mages performed a spell that would allow them to cast off their humanity in exchange for unbelievable power, enough to last through the ravages of time and keep the treasure safe from those who would use it for ill-gotten gains," Yunalesca continued. "However, as the eons passed, the guardians lost their sentience and began to act on nothing more than primal instinct, attacking anyone who set foot in their land even if they did not seek the treasure."

"So... that thing we just fought was one of those six treasure guardians?" Yuuki realized.

"Indeed," Yunalesca proclaimed. "I must implore you to find the remaining guardians and destroy their parasitic forms, so that they may be returned to heaven safe and sound."

"Okay, now I have a question," Nick stated. "If and when we defeat the rest of the guardians, what will happen if we ultimately find that treasure somewhere?"

"It will be up to you to decide what to do with it when the time comes," Yunalesca answered. "Until then, seek out the other palaces and destroy the parasites that my guardians have become. Only then will our kind know true peace."

"We'll do our best, my lady," Yuuki replied.

Yunalesca raised her hands. "I now bestow upon you one of the six Faith Medallions carried by the mages. They will be the proof of your quest. Once all six have been claimed, take them to the base of the World Tree and you will enter the path to the treasure."

"So, it goes all the way back to Alfheim?" Nick quipped. "Interesting..."

Yuuki looked down as a small golden medallion appeared in her hand. It was small, about the size of her hand, emblazoned with a lightning bolt symbol.

"Go now, brave fairy warriors," Yunalesca proclaimed. "Defeat the corrupted mages and save my people."

With that said, Yunalesca disappeared, and the area changed again, now bringing the Sleeping Knights back at the top floor of the Seafloor Palace.

"Well, sounds like we've got one heck of a quest to go on," Jun proclaimed.

"The question I have is, where could the rest of the palaces be?" Siune asked.

"I guess we'll have to keep looking as the next floors open up," Nick answered. "The palaces could be anywhere."

Yuuki looked up as a message flashed across her info window.

"Guys, I gotta go," Yuuki proclaimed, suddenly really excited. "Kurahashi says it's time to get out of that hospital!"

"You'll still keep in touch, right, Yuuki?" Siune asked.

"Of course!" Yuuki giggled, her voice growing bolder and more firm with every sentence. "The Sleeping Knights have only just _begun_ their journey, after all! We've been given a mission by the local goddess to bring down her corrupted and mind-shattered mages to save the land of ALfheim from a deadly treasure! There's no way we're stopping now!"

Yuuki looked back at Nick. "How was that?"

"Less cheesy, but still bold," Nick answered. "I like it."

Yuuki smiled goofily as she and Nick logged out together.

 _Back at the hospital..._

"Right on time. Yuuki," Kurahashi proclaimed as Nick and Yuuki returned to the real world.

"Is it true, doc? Is it finally time for me to leave the hospital?" Yuuki asked.

"We've talked it over with the doctors after checking your scans, and to be honest, Yuuki, your body is handling it very well," Kurahashi explained. "So, we've decided that you can be discharged tomorrow morning."

"Hey, doc, thank you for everything," Yuuki proclaimed, leaping out of bed to hug Kurahashi. "All this time I spent here, I never gave up hope that I could someday leave and be back with the world..."

"You're quite welcome, Yuuki," Kurahashi laughed. "By the way, is there anywhere you want to go first?"

"Actually, I think Nick's aunt and uncle are waiting for us," Yuuki realized. "Nick said they're gonna help us find a place to stay."

"They've always been providers, helping us out whenever mom and dad were having a tough time of it," Nick explained. "I'd trust them with my life."

"Oh, wait, hold on!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Asuna wanted to see me, and I think she's waiting at the school!"

"Well, then let's go there tomorrow," Nick replied. "After we're done with all the mandatory paperwork, of course."

"Ugh, don't remind me of the paperwork!" Yuuki exclaimed.

 _The next afternoon..._

 **("No More Time Machine" by LiSA plays)**

Once everything was taken care of, Nick and Yuuki left the hospital hand in hand. Yuuki smiled with a marveled expression at the bright blue sky. Yuuki was currently wearing some of Nick's old clothes that miraculously fit her perfectly.

"Wow, it's so beautiful out here today!" Yuuki giggled.

"Gotta appreciate these moments while we have the chance, right?" Nick replied.

"Nick, I know I've probably said this a lot, but I need to say it again," Yuuki proclaimed, leaning out to link her arms with her boyfriend's. "Thank you for staying with me through all of this. That was the one thing I was really scared of when I landed in the hospital, that you'd abandon me when you found out that I didn't have much time left..."

"Hey, I made you a promise, and I intended to keep it," Nick replied, patting Yuuki on the head. "I wasn't going to just leave you like those idiots who _claimed_ they were your friends only to turn on you just because you had AIDS. That's a pretty stupid reason to torment someone, if you ask me."

Nick kissed Yuuki on the cheek. "I promised you that I'd stay with you forever, even if that meant it was to the bitter end. And you, of all people, know that I don't break my promises."

After a short walk, Nick and Yuuki found themselves in front of the National Vocational School, better known as the Sword Art Online Survivors Academy.

"Ready, Yuuki?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. Let's do this," Yuuki answered. And with that, the two walked through the front gates.

Almost immediately, Yuuki nearly lost her balance as Asuna leaped out to glomp the Absolute Sword.

"Easy, Asuna! I _did_ just get out of the hospital, silly!" Yuuki exclaimed, regaining her balance quickly.

"I'm just so happy to see you finally out and about, Yuuki!" Asuna exclaimed. "And you look _great_!"

"Thanks," Yuuki giggled. "Treatment went pretty well, actually. And wouldn't you know those silly doctors still wanted to run all sorts of tests on me!"

"It's standard procedure, Yuuki," Nick quipped. "They just wanted to make sure that cure thing was an absolute success."

"Well, how about we head in?" Asuna laughed. "I'm sure there's a lot of people who'd love to meet you in the flesh."

With that, the trio walked into the school itself.

Just like the last time, everyone was excited to see Yuuki, even more so now that she had been cured and could attend school full-time very soon.

Yuuki had even been asked to help with a class project, most notably something to do with mechatronics, which Yuuki capitalized on immediately, owing to the fact that Kazuto had been part of this class and created the device that Asuna had used to bring Yuuki to school all those months ago.

"As long as I don't have to do any complicated math," Yuuki had noted. "I'm _horrible_ at math."

All in all, it was a very exciting day for Yuuki.

 _Later that night, at Nick and Yuuki's apartment..._

"Wow, this a really nice place!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Are you sure it's within our price range?"

"My aunt and uncle said they can definitely afford it," Nick replied, sitting down on the couch in the living room. He had been walking around all day, and he was exhausted. "And besides, since we're splitting the apartment, it'll save on costs."

"Oh, that's good," Yuuki stated, quickly yawning loudly. The past week's events had really taken its toll on her. "Seriously, Nick, all I wanna do right now is hit the hay. We can unpack these boxes in the morning, okay?"

"You read my mind, Yuuki," Nick replied, yawning himself. "I'm about to drop as it is."

So, the pair made their way to bed, with Yuuki sighing happily at how soft the bed was. It was clear she'd missed being able to sleep in a real bed after so long in the hospital.

"Ah, I could get used to this," Yuuki giggled. "It feels so wonderful to actually be in a real bed again."

"Let's get some sleep, okay?" Nick stated. "We've got a lot of searching to do after school tomorrow."

At first, Yuuki was confused, until she remembered the quest that Yunalesca had given after exploring the Seafloor Palace.

"Oh, yeah! The rest of the palaces!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Ooh, _that's_ going to be a fun quest."

Yuuki flopped back onto the bed, smiling when Nick reached out to hold her hands.

"See you in the morning, Nick," Yuuki stated.

"You too, Yuuki," Nick replied.

"And welcome home," both Nick and Yuuki said to each other before closing their eyes.

 _A week later, on floor thirty-three..._

"Okay, these guys are late!" Yuuki proclaimed. She was growing impatient while waiting for the Sleeping Knights. They'd already missed their chance to participate in the floor thirty-two boss battle, because the raid party had set out while Nick and Yuuki were stuck in school. Yuuki hadn't wanted to go if Nick couldn't be there, because as far as Yuuki was concerned, Nick was an official member of the Sleeping Knights now.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon," Nick replied, brushing some sand off of his outfit. Floor thirty-three was primarily desert-themed, in stark contrast to Blizzalia being winter-themed. "It's not easy to travel in this place when there's a sandstorm."

And, sure enough, no sooner had Nick said so than the rest of the Sleeping Knights marched up.

"Sorry we're late, guys," Jun stated. "It's not easy moving through a sandstorm like this."

"So, what's the plan, everybody?" Siune wondered.

"Well, thanks to some choice info we procured from Argo," Nick explained, pointing out towards the sweeping desert behind them. "It's only been a few days since this floor opened up, and already players are seeing a strange structure popping up from the dunes. It's only accessible at certain times, due to how the sandstorms in this area work."

"We figured, hey, it's the closest lead we've got to the next palace, so why not go check it out?" Yuuki continued.

"So, is everyone ready?" Nick proclaimed. A loud cheer from the Sleeping Knights confirmed that.

Jun caught a good look at the amethyst ring Yuuki was now wearing on her finger. "You lucky girl, you..."

Yuuki giggled at Jun's antics, then looked at Nick, who was grinning like a madman.

"All right, Sleeping Knights, let's move out!" Nick shouted, everyone activating their wings.

Nick and Yuuki reached out to hold hands as they floated into the air.

 _I don't know what the future will bring,_ Yuuki thought. _But I'm not afraid. Because I have Nick by my side, as cheesy as that sounds._

 _The future doesn't scare me,_ Nick thought, squeezing Yuuki's hand. _Because as long as I can spend it with the girl I love, that's all that matters, right?_

"Let's go, guys!" Yuuki shouted, and the Sleeping Knights took off for the desert tower, ready to continue their adventure.

 _~The End... for now~_


	11. Through the Eyes of Madness

"So, where exactly did Argo say it was?"

"Somewhere in the dunes just to the west of the city. It apparently only shows up at very specific times, probably because of the constant sandstorms this floor has."

Yuuki Konno, the Absolute Sword, brushed some sand off of her uniform. Floor thirty-three, Jerado, was basically the opposite of floor thirty-two, Blizzalia, being desert-themed instead of winter-themed like Blizzalia was.

"If _that's_ the case, I'm seriously surprised no one's found it yet," Yuuki quipped. "You've _seen_ that glut of treasure hunters going out there, right? Those dunes are a _madhouse_!"

Nick Kelly, alias Makoto the Whirlwind Knight, couldn't help but chuckle. Jerado was primarily based off of old Egyptian legends, and that usually meant lots of treasure buried under the sands, lost to the ravages of time. And here in ALfheim Online, that usually meant rare items to anyone who was willing to risk getting caught in the sandstorms and excavate what had been there for ages.

"Maybe someone did find it, but the sandstorms were too much for them," Nick posited.

"Well, I'm not going to let that stop me!" Yuuki exclaimed. "This is the best lead we've had in a while, and I'm not letting it slip away from us!"

Nick gazed out to the barely-visible tower in the distance. Even from this distance, it looked remarkably similar to the Seafloor Palace where this whole crazy quest had begun.

"Guess all we can do is wait for the rest of the Sleeping Knights to get here," Nick quipped.

"Speaking of the Sleeping Knights, _where are they?!_ " Yuuki proclaimed. "It's not like them to be late!"

Nick looked back at the passage leading back to the town area. Still no sign of them.

Yuuki reached out to hold Nick's hand. Nick just smiled and squeezed his girlfriend's hand gently, relishing in her warmth. Oh, if only Klein could see them now.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Don't let one simple loss get you down, because you can learn from mistakes. Suffer not in defeat, for it only makes you stronger in the end.)

The Blue Time Ranger presents...  
 _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario II  
_ Story Created: December 15th, 2015  
Story Rated: T for Teen

 **Summary:** With Yuuki Konno finally free from AIDS, she is ready to get her life back on track. The goddess Yunalesca has tasked the Sleeping Knights with slaying her strongest mages to release their souls and claim a legendary treasure, but once again, strange events begin to plague the guild, leaving Nick and Yuuki to believe that not everything is as it seems. Is this really a simple quest for an extremely special item with odd event flags, or will it turn into a catastrophe that could very well change the face of ALfheim Online as we know it? Not to mention the appearance of a face Yuuki had thought was lost forever...

 **Author's Note:** Well, a sequel, eh? I wasn't going to just leave you guys hanging. After all, we've still got a huge quest to finish, and I've got ideas up the wazoo, so let's get to work!

 **Timeline Placement:** Still an AU slightly, but this story starts about a week after the end of Memory Rosario.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own anything related to Sword Art Online. That's Reki Kawahara, not me. Anything I don't own, I am just borrowing. The character of Nick Kelly belongs to me, and he many only be used in your stuff with my permission. (I'll probably always say yes, as long as you don't make him look bad.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 1: Through the Eyes of Madness

"Hey, is that it?" Jun asked. The Sleeping Knights had finally shown up, and they were on their way to the strange structure.

"I think so," Yuuki quipped, looking at the Bolt Medal in her hands, the first medallion to be claimed from the goddess Yunalesca. "This medal's flashing like crazy, and I think it's flashing more the closer we get to that tower thing."

"Maybe it's reacting to the presence of the mages," Nick noted. "Didn't Yunalesca tell us that these medallions were the source of their powers before they cast off their humanity? Maybe they're also like beacons that can draw their holder to the other ones."

"So, they're basically our compass to the other palaces?" Jun answered. "Sweet!"

"Um, I think we need to hurry, because I'm sure there's a sandstorm coming up, and if that place disappears before we get there, I'm going to be _really_ annoyed!" Yuuki shouted.

Nick couldn't help but chuckle at how gung-ho Yuuki was being, but he inwardly agreed with her. The Sleeping Knights had spent an entire week combing floor thirty-three once it had opened, still in search of the rest of the palaces.

To that, the Sleeping Knights all leaped into the air, summoning their wings before taking off full charge for the tower in the distance.

A low rumbling started up, seeming to get louder and louder with distance, as if something was following them.

"Um, what's that?" Jun wondered.

The sand just ahead of them exploded outwards, signaling the rise of something from beneath the dunes.

"Get back!" Nick shouted, and the Sleeping Knights dashed backwards to avoid whatever was lunging at them. It turned out to be a large Dune Crawler, a gigantic sandworm monster that was very common out here in the dunes and was often the biggest detriment to the treasure hunters.

Siune wasted no time in chanting a spell. Droves of frost-blue light surrounded the Dune Crawler before exploding out in wobbling shockwaves, encasing the monster in ice.

"Everybody, let's hack 'em up!" Yuuki shouted, and the Sleeping Knights went to work, slashing indiscriminately at the Dune Crawler while it was still trapped.

Nick dealt the finishing blow with a Bulletdive Drop, shattering the Dune Crawler into pieces before watching it explode into shards of light.

"Okay, that's the sixth one so far!" Tecchi exclaimed, hefting his shield. "Anyone getting annoyed yet?!"

"It seems like they're getting more and more frequent the closer we get to the tower," Siune noted. "Maybe they're trying to ward off players?"

"If that's true, whoever's in that tower must be pretty tough," Yuuki stated, voicing a theory of her own as the Sleeping Knights resumed their flight to the tower.

"Hey, Yuuki's got a point," Nick realized. "All the Dune Crawlers we've fought on the way here have been popping up at specific points. Dune Crawlers usually pop out at random spots. Maybe one of the mages is controlling their spawn points to keep anyone from reaching the tower."

After about five more minutes, the guild reached the entrance to the tower.

"It looks a lot like the Seafloor Palace," Yuuki quipped. "This _must_ be the place! The medal's going bonkers now..."

"Well, Sleeping Knights, let's check it out," Nick replied as the group walked into the Dune Palace.

The Dune Palace gave off the visual flair of old catacombs that would often be found in ancient ruins and pyramids, quite fitting for this floor of New Aincrad. Everything around them was in disrepair, weathered and cracked by time.

"Man, father time really took a bat to this place," Yuuki noted, drawing her sword.

"I don't think it was just time that did this," Jun gasped, pointing to a large gouge in a nearby wall. The claw marks etched into the solid stone were clearly unnatural, from something not meant to be here.

"Okay, _that's_ freaky," Yuuki quipped. "Sounds like we're in for some trouble."

No sooner had Yuuki said that then something inhuman roared loudly and dashed out of the darkness to attack the Sleeping Knights. The beast resembled a lion, only it stood upright on its hind legs, and its claws were nearly half a foot long.

"Safe to say _that's_ what made those marks!" Jun exclaimed.

"Duck and cover!" Nick shouted, and the guild split from their formation to form a circle around the Guardian Beast. The monster roared so loudly it shook the surrounding area and caused dust to come loose from the walls.

Siune cast a defensive buff on the Sleeping Knights, then leaped backwards just in time to avoid a slash attack from the Guardian Beast.

"Jeez, those claws look like they could tear you apart in one hit," Jun noted.

"Well, I'm not staying still to find out!" Yuuki exclaimed, firing off her Ethereal Blades spell and driving the Guardian Beast back. "Yeah! Chew on that, beastie boy!"

Yuuki almost instantly wished she'd kept her mouth shut as the Guardian Beast quickly rushed back in and slashed at Yuuki's shoulder, slamming her into a nearby pillar.

The Guardian Beast roared in triumph and aimed its claws for Yuuki's head, but Nick was over there in a flash, holding up Dreamcloud to block the strike.

"Wrong move, Simba," Nick taunted, shoving the Dreamcloud forward and causing the Guardian Beast to stumble. Nick immediately drew Freedom Striker, its blade already glowing a bright orange, and lashed out.

A left-horizontal spiral slash, a right-horizontal flourish, a vertical uppercut, a downward spike, four left-to-right-to-left slashes, a diagonal uppercut, and a downward chop, Freedom Striker's blade leaving orange light trails with each strike.

An outward stab, a right-hand slice, two diagonal slashes in an X formation, a quick slap with the flat of the blade, and finally, Nick gripped the blade tightly, leaping into the air and slicing downward with all the force of a crashing airliner, the blade bisecting the Guardian Beast with the final strike.

For good measure, Nick swung horizontally, halving the remains of the Guardian Beast as it exploded into light shards.

Once the dust had settled, Nick quickly turned back to Yuuki, helping her get to her feet and healing her.

"You okay?" Nick asked.

"Guess I just got a little overconfident," Yuuki quipped. "I didn't think that thing would actually recover so quickly."

"Sounds like we've got our work cut out for us after all," Jun noted. "Let's keep moving."

And with that, the Sleeping Knights continued, descending further and further through the catacombs and fighting off any more strange creatures that assaulted them.

"Guys, I'm starting to wonder something," Tecchi stated. "Is it me, or are there a lot of unique monsters in these palaces? It doesn't seem right that these places are the only time we see enemies like this."

"I wonder if it has something to do with the legend this quest is based on?" Siune asked. "Maybe some of these monsters used to be the mages' guardians?"

"Hey, I think you're on to something, Siune!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Maybe the mages handpicked a bunch of special people to guard them in their palaces, and time just kinda left them to rot..."

"That still raises a few questions," Nick noted. "But I guess we won't be getting any answers until we find the next mage..."

Eventually, the Sleeping Knights came across a large, ornate doorway, no doubt the gateway to the boss room.

"Well, everybody, I believe the boss is waiting for us," Yuuki proclaimed. "Let's get ourselves fixed up and healed so we can stomp another derelict mage!"

Siune did the honors, casting a wide-field healing spell to bring everybody in the Sleeping Knights to full health. Yuuki did the honor of casting a buff spell on the group to temporarily maximize their defense stat, something she'd learned from a skill that was on the amethyst ring Nick had gotten for her recently. It cost a heck of a lot of mana to cast, but it would definitely be worth it for the battle ahead.

"All right, let's go take this guy out!" Yuuki exclaimed, walking up to the door and opening it. Within was what appeared to be a large coastal area, though everything around it was in various states of wreckage.

The area had the appearance of a water-front village washed out by a large tidal wave.

"Oooookay..." Yuuki quipped. "This is definitely the weirdest boss arena I've been to yet, and I've been inside of a black hole, so..."

Nick tensed up, drawing Freedom Striker and holding it aloft, awaiting the chaos that would inevitably erupt.

A loud tremor broke the silence. Then another, and another.

"What is _that_?!" Jun exclaimed, struggling to stay on his feet.

"I'd guess that's coming from the boss, wherever it is," Siune noted.

Nick and Yuuki just stood side by side, their weapons ready.

Another tremor rocked the area, and the mountain that rose above this coastal village cracked in a few spots as a result of the tremors.

"It's breaking out! Everyone, brace yourselves!" Nick shouted.

The cracks became a large fracture with each tremor, before one final blow shattered the face of the mountain, creating a hole large enough for a grotesque-looking creature to break through and land with a loud THUMP in front of the Sleeping Knights.

The monster had an elongated head that resembled a bull's, two strange-looking arms that ended in large, shield-like plates instead of hands, and glowing, blood-red eyes. According to its info window, it was known as Gui, Shield of the Faith.

Looking down at the Sleeping Knights, the boss roared in challenge.

"I think that's all the signal we need! Let's take 'em out!" Yuuki shouted, and the Sleeping Knights charged for the monster.

However, that quickly presented the first problem.

No matter what attack the Sleeping Knights threw out, the boss would raise its shield-like arms and take only pitiful damage from even the strongest strikes.

"Argh, so it's gonna be one of _those_ bosses, is it?!" Yuuki growled.

"Guess that means we need to use defense-piercing attacks," Nick replied, circling around the area where Gui was standing. The way the boss was positioned presented a tactical problem, seeing as how its massive bulk covered a good chunk of the ground they had, which wasn't much due to the destroyed village all around them.

Nick dashed forward just as Gui raised its arms again. Nick decided to test the waters and slash wildly at the makeshift barrier, hoping to get somewhere.

By the final hit, Nick was disturbed to see that he hadn't done much more damage.

Or, he would have been disturbed if he hadn't noticed how the arms acted. With each hit, the arms would crack slightly, as if they were absorbing all the damage.

"Guys, I think I have this guy figured out!" Nick exclaimed, hopping backwards to avoid retaliation. "When it raises its arms, its main body gets a huge defense boost, but apparently, that defense comes from the arms themselves! See how they're all cracked? I'm willing to bet if we can destroy the arms, it'll leave the body defenseless!"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Yuuki responded, jumping towards the right arm and attacking with her new Sword Skill, Vortex Blade, where she spun around multiple times with blade extended. The arm jerked back once it was free of the attack, signaling that the plan had worked.

Jun, meanwhile, decided to attack the left arm, easily catching what Yuuki was trying to do.

And sure enough, Nick saw it. With both arms occupied, the boss' body was left wide open to an attack.

Not intending to waste an opportunity, Nick charged in and immediately unleashed an Ars Arcanum on the vulnerable body, watching in delight as Gui jerked and writhed in agony with each blow struck.

Not finished yet, however, Nick summoned another sword to his free hand, using this new sword to unleash a new attack consisting of multiple wavy slashes left to right, followed by three final spinning attacks, causing Gui to rear back in pain.

Nick smiled when he saw that his new Original Sword Skill, Ars Solum, had done quite a number on the remains of the first of Gui's two health bars. _Why only two? Parasyte had three,_ Nick thought. A quick glance around confirmed the reason, however, as each of Gui's shield-like arms had their own health bar, as did its head.

Just as Nick realized this, Jun and Yuuki had landed the final blow to the already-damaged arms, causing them to fall off of Gui's body and explode into shards of light.

"All right, everybody, the body's defenseless now, so let's finish this fight!" Yuuki exclaimed, hopping off of Jun's shoulders to aim an attack for the head.

To Yuuki's surprise, the head swung about and spewed a wave of sickly green light that sent Yuuki crashing back to the ground. Nick instantly picked up on the fact that Yuuki was a lot slower getting up.

A quick check of her status window confirmed that she had been poisoned by that attack.

"All right, bull boy, you're going to wish you hadn't done that!" Nick growled, dashing in and striking out with a Lightning Fall, locking Gui into paralysis so he could slash at the vulnerable body.

Siune didn't waste a second, casting an antidote spell on Yuuki to get rid of her poison debuff. Yuuki shook her head to clear the daze out of her mind, then calmly walked up to Nick.

Nick didn't notice, as he was pre-occupied with leaping to attack the head to avoid the poison wave. After a few strikes, Nick felt Yuuki tapping him on the shoulder.

Nick looked behind him as Yuuki gently pushed him away from Gui. After staring down the monster, Yuuki drew her blade and stabbed outwards five times, creating a horizontal line down Gui's body. Yuuki spun around and stabbed out five more times, creating another line going the opposite way, both lines forming a sort of X. Finally, Yuuki reared back and thrust her sword forward with a loud battle cry, driving the point of her blade straight into the center of the X she'd formed with her earlier sword stabs. Purple light exploded from Gui's wounds and its last health bar dropped to nothing.

The monster roared, as if still challenging the Sleeping Knights despite the fact that it was about to die. It attempted to smash its head into Yuuki, as she was the closest, but froze just inches away before exploding into shards of light.

Smirking triumphantly, Yuuki sheathed her blade. "And that's what you get for poisoning me, jerk."

"Wow, Nick, you can dual wield now, too?" Siune gasped once the battlefield was calm.

"Thank Kirito for that," Nick explained, hefting his new sword, the Crystal Lancet. It was, as expected, a scimitar-like weapon with a broad and curved blade made entirely of pure, refracting crystal. "Now that I've got another sword in my inventory, I asked him to teach me how to use Skill Connect. I have a feeling I'll need the extra firepower for this quest."

"Where did you get a sword _that_ cool-looking?" Yuuki asked.

"Well, I've had this super-rare crystal item in my inventory for a while now, and I figured I'd see if I could get Liz to forge it into a weapon for me," Nick explained. "And boy, I'm glad she did. This baby's got the Piercing skill, so basically any attack I do with this sword will pierce defenses like it's nothing! How's _that_ for cool?"

The background began to shift again, though this time, the Sleeping Knights weren't surprised, knowing where they were being taken. Eventually, the area around them settled into the Chamber of the Faith.

"Well done, brave fairy warriors," the goddess Yunalesca proclaimed, floating down from the chamber ceiling to greet the Sleeping Knights. "You are making faster progress than I expected."

"Well, to be honest, I didn't think we'd find the second palace so quickly," Yuuki admitted. "I don't think we'll be as lucky with the next one."

"Say, Yunalesca?" Nick wondered. "What was that place we fought the mage in?"

"Their souls are still bound to their previous lives," Yunalesca explained. "They will bend reality around them to transform it into a place that meant something to them."

"So that village must have been under his protection before he became that monster," Yuuki realized. "That's kinda sad, actually..."

"In either case, you have performed well, my brave fairy warriors," Yunalesca proclaimed. "You are that much closer to allowing us to rest peacefully. I now present you with your medallion, as proof of your victory."

A blue medallion fell from the sky and into Yuuki's hands, embedded with a symbol resembling a coasting wave.

"I shall wait for you again, brave ones," Yunalesca proclaimed, and the Chamber of the Faith dissolved to deposit the Sleeping Knights just outside of the Dune Palace.

"All RIGHT!" Yuuki shouted, jumping into the air and pumping her fist to the sky in a loud cheer. "We are on a ROLL!"

Yuuki reached out and summoned a locket she'd received from Yunalesca to hold the medallions they'd collected, placing the Wave Medal in the second slot.

"That's two down, four to go," Yuuki quipped, now noticing that night had fallen on the desert. Silently glad that it was the weekend now, meaning that she and Nick had more time to be on ALfheim, Yuuki looked back towards Jerado.

"Well, guys, what do you say we head back to town?" Jun asked, hefting his weapon.

"Just a second, Jun," Yuuki quipped, opening her menu and typing something in. "I gotta do something I probably should have done earlier."

Nick, hearing a beep from his notifications menu, opened his status window to see that Yuuki had sent him a guild invitation to officially join the Sleeping Knights.

Nick smiled, moving without hesitation to hit the "accept" button. To the left of his player name on his status window, Nick could now see the guild icon of the Sleeping Knights.

"Better late than never, I always say!" Yuuki giggled, leaping over to hug Nick. "Welcome to the Sleeping Knights!"

Nick would have responded if he didn't suddenly feel so light-headed.

Before he could process what was going on, he passed out...

...only to reawaken a few minutes later in a very strange-looking area. It seemed to almost resemble a town's teleport gate, and everything in Nick's vision was wavy, almost as if he was dreaming.

"What the hell? Am I in a dream world?" Nick wondered. A quick flick of his finger brought up his menu screen. "Is that even possible in this game?"

" _Do not trust her..."_

Nick drew the Crystal Scimitar in response to the strange voice. "All right, who's there?!"

A figure appeared far away, though Nick couldn't make anything out due to the wavy background obscuring the figure's features.

" _You must not trust Yunalesca."_

"And why _is_ that?" Nick growled.

" _Or your life will be forfeit."_

Before Nick could even understand what was happening, the figure rushed out from the shadows, swinging a rather large curved sword at him. Nick barely got his own weapon up in time to block the swing that he knew would have done a number on him otherwise.

"Hey, man, what's your damage?!" Nick shouted, shoving the figure, Auron of the Ronin according to its status window, a few feet away before dashing in to launch his own attack.

Auron just huffed, swinging in a wide arc with his sword that forced Nick to jump away.

"Now you're making me angry," Nick growled, rushing back in and performing an overhead slash that caused Auron to stumble. Nick didn't waste a single second in unleashing an Ars Solum on Auron's vulnerable form, though it only dropped the first of his two health bars to about half.

"Okay, so this won't be as easy as I thought," Nick groaned.

Auron took advantage of the lag to raise his sword and chant in an ancient language, causing circles of light to appear around the blade.

Nick righted himself and began to dodge around, hoping to throw Auron off of his game before he could launch his attack.

Auron simply swung his sword downward, and multiple blades of light rushed to impale Nick through the chest from many angles.

Nick collapsed to his knees, noting that the attack had done quite a number on his health bar, bringing his health down to its limits.

"Who... who the hell _are_ you?!" Nick growled as best he could.

Auron didn't respond, simply hefting his giant sword onto his shoulder and walking away, fading back into the shadows.

And with that, Nick's vision began to blur immensely, only for it to quickly clear up and reveal that he was back in Dahngrest, more specifically at the Sleeping Knights' headquarters.

"Hey, I think he's awake," Siune stated.

"Jeez, Nick, what happened?!" Yuuki exclaimed. "You just passed out after I sent you the guild invitation!"

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself," Nick admitted. "I 'woke up' in this weird dreamspace thingy, and some wacko pops up, tells me not to trust Yunalesca, and he attacks me! I had him on the ropes for a while, but he used this special attack and impaled me with a dozen energy blades, but he just waltzed away after that. Next thing I know, I'm back here in Dahngrest..."

Just to be sure, Nick checked his health bar; it was green and completely full.

"Was it just a dream?" Nick wondered. "Is that even _possible_ in the game world?"

"Did this figure have a health bar?" Jun asked.

"He had two, which means he might have been a boss," Nick quipped. "I don't know if it's related to our quest or not..."

"Makes you wonder what story the Cardinal System's drawing _this_ one from..." Tecchi quipped.

"Well, maybe we should log off, then," Yuuki stated. "We'll recharge and get ready for the next floor boss in a couple days."

"Wait, they found the labyrinth already?" Jun quipped. "That was quick. It's really only been a week or so!"

"Consider that we're not stuck in a death game anymore," Nick replied. "It's probably easier on the raid team that they don't have as much to worry about."

"True, that," Yuuki quipped.

 _That night, back in the real world..._

Yuuki looked around as she always did when exiting the game world. It had been at least a week and a half since she and Nick had moved into their new apartment, which they were splitting the costs of thanks to Nick's aunt and uncle. They had promised to help support them ever since Nick had lost his mother to the reformed Death Gun.

Yuuki cast a glance at Nick, who still hadn't woken up yet. She smiled brightly at the sight of her boyfriend, her smile never wavering even as she caught a glimpse of a scar on Nick's right shoulder. That scar was, to Nick, a symbol of just how close he had come to losing Yuuki after she'd been kidnapped by Johnny Black.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," Yuuki giggled, leaning over to kiss Nick on the cheek when she saw him stirring.

"Yuuki, how many times have I called that joke overused?" Nick teased as he lifted his Amusphere off of his head and set it on the nearby counter.

"I know, but it's fun to tease you about it," Nick responded as Yuuki went to turn on the television. Predictably, the news program was still talking about how Death Gun had finally been brought to justice, no doubt in large part thanks to Nick storming Death Gun's hideout to kill Johnny Black and save Yuuki.

"Isn't it weird?" Yuuki noted. "No one really knows how Death Gun was finally brought down. The news doesn't want to say anything about it."

"Well, they probably weren't even aware that Death Gun was finished until it was already over," Nick answered. "Remember, they didn't report it on the news until two days after I cleaned Johnny's clock for good."

"Point," Yuuki replied. "Well, I'm gonna hit the shower. It's been quite a day."

As Yuuki headed for the bathroom, Nick decided to head to the kitchen for a snack. He was pretty hungry, after all.

If Nick had decided to stay a few seconds longer, he would have noticed that the news headline now read **One or more members of Death Gun still remain at large.**

As she let the warm water rain down her body, Yuuki thought about everything that had happened in the past month or so. She definitely didn't expect to get pulled into many of the events she had been a part of, like traveling to the hacked Hollow Area to take down a member of Laughing Coffin.

And she was beyond happy to finally be free of AIDS, as she could now live her life the way she wanted to.

 _Hey, Aiko? I hope you're doing okay,_ Yuuki thought. _I don't know when exactly I'll be seeing you again, but when we do get to meet, boy, do we have a lot to catch up on!_

Yuuki sighed happily at the thought.

 _Two days later..._

"Whoa, this place is nuts," Jun proclaimed. "I guess 'steampunk' is actually a thing in this game now."

"Hey, in a fantasy land like this, I'd believe steampunk more than modern-day tech," Nick admitted. The Sleeping Knights were on floor 17, having gone back there to do some power-leveling for the upcoming labyrinth raid, only to find an odd structure hidden among the fields. They had investigated, finding a strange staircase that led them deep underground and to the Palace of Gears, third of the six palaces that they had been tasked by Yunalesca with finding.

The Palace of Gears was a steampunk lover's dream come true, featuring many strange machines and other steam-powered technology that some people wouldn't think belonged in a game like ALfheim Online.

"Okay, down to business, how close do you think we are to the boss of this place?" Yuuki wondered.

Yuuki's question was basically answered by a loud, mechanical roar from nearby. The Sleeping Knights rushed off to investigate the disturbance, only to see a large, open door that led into an arena-style area, no doubt the boss room.

To Yuuki's surprise, someone was already engaging the boss.

"Oh, man, did someone beat us here?" Jun groaned.

The mysterious figure danced away from the boss, a large mechanical golem comprised of gears, pipes, and other assorted junk. According to its information window, it was known as Rodea, Golem of the Faith, a boss with an earth elemental affinity.

Rodea slammed a bulky fist made up of pipes and rails onto the ground in hopes of squashing the figure, but she danced away so lightly that she may have been floating.

It was then that she noticed the Sleeping Knights. "Hey, just in time! Mind helping me out here?"

"Well, this _is_ what we came down here for," Tecchi teased.

"That's all I need to hear," Nick proclaimed, drawing Freedom Striker and Crystal Lancet. "Sleeping Knights, let's throw down!"

And with that, the Sleeping Knights charged into the arena to engage the boss.

Though, as the entire group went into battle, Yuuki got a good look at the new arrival's info window.

Apparently, her name was "Ran".

But there was only one person she knew who used that nickname.

Just to make sure, Yuuki stared at the girl herself.

She looked _exactly_ like her.

But... there was no way. She was supposed to be dead.

But there she was, plain as day.

"A... A-Aiko?" Yuuki gasped.

 _To be continued..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On the next episode...

Jun: All right, Sleeping Knights, looks like it's boss time!

Tecchi: Man, this thing's bulky as heck! How are we going to put a dent in this thing's metal hide?

Nick: Yuuki? Is everything okay?

Ran: Hey, I think I see a weak point in this thing!

Yuuki: Nick, would you believe me if I said that this girl might be my sister Aiko?

Nick: But Aiko-san passed away a couple years ago, right?

Yuuki: That's why I'm so confused... she's dead, and yet she's right here. She looks exactly like Aiko... what's going on here?!

Nick: Hopefully we'll find out after we deep-fry this boss. Next time on _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario II_ , "Memory of Lightwaves"!

Yuuki: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


End file.
